They are easy to prepare for jelly because you just need to cut the stem and blossom off and let them boil and break down. For jelly, you are only using the juice that is strained from the crab apples. Thank God for my 13 year old daughter who quickly came to my aid by designing the make shift strainer you see in the photos. The juice needs to be left to drip for a couple hours to yield the clearest jelly.

Here is the recipe I used from Canadian Living.

Crab Apple Jelly

Ingredients:

6 lbs of crab apples

4.5 cups of granulated sugar

Remove both stem and blossom ends from crab apples. Do not peel or core. In large Dutch oven, bring crab apples and 6 cups (1.5 L) water to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until softened. Using potato masher, crush crab apples; cook for 5 minutes longer.

Wet and wring out jelly bag; suspend on frame over large measuring cup or bowl. Fill with crab apples; let drip, without squeezing bag, for about 2 hours or until juice measures 6-1/2 cups (1.625 L), adding up to 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) water if necessary.

In large clean Dutch oven, bring juice with sugar to full rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; boil for 15 to 18 minutes or until gel stage. (See Gel Stage Test, below) Remove from heat; skim off foam.

Using funnel, fill hot 1-cup (250 mL) canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch (5 mm) head space. Cover with prepared lids. Screw on bands until resistance is met; increase to fingertip tight. Boil in boiling water canner for 10 minutes. (See Canning Basics)

Additional information : Gel Stage Test:• Remove jelly from heat while doing test.• Chill two or three small plates in freezer.Place 1 tsp (5 mL) hot jelly or jam on plate and freeze for 1 minute. Remove from freezer. Surface should wrinkle when edge is pushed with finger. If surface doesn’t wrinkle, continue cooking and repeat test every few minutes.

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

5 tablespoons or 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks may add a little more

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup heavy cream

Lemon Glaze:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups of icing sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon butter

1 lemon, zest finely grated

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, or a food processor, blend the butter with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Gently add the blueberries into the batter. If you start squishing them, their strong color will bleed into the dough and you will have blue scones, which is fine if you dont care. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet or on parchment paper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are golden and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you put the glaze on them.

You can make the lemon glaze in a double boiler, or for a simpler alternative, you can zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice with the confectioners’ until dissolved in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water for the double-boiler method, or in a microwave-safe bowl. Whisk in the butter and lemon zest. Either nuke the glaze for 30 seconds or continue whisking in the double boiler. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.

Posted with Blogsy