# sharing my oops :-0



## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

Hi all, thought I'd share my oopsie in case you find in amusing (or have similar oopsies!)

I've been wanting to try canning pickled crab apples for as long as I've been canning (less than a year) - since it is one of the first canned things I've ever tried and I remember thinking it's amazing. Well, after thinking I had missed the crab apple season - I discovered not one, but two trees right outside my new apartment! My husband and I went out and shook trees, I stood on his shoulders to get enough good ones to can before they froze. 

Anyway - after the brine was boiling away, and all the apples had been sorted through I realized I hadn't actually checked that they were crab apples - tasted one from each tree and they're sweet as can be. I guess I'm going to have VERY sweet "pickled" apples to find some use for. hope this gives someone a laugh.


----------



## Marilyn (Aug 2, 2006)

mathchick: I'm sure they'll be greathe. Let us know what you think when you open the first jar.


----------



## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

Marilyn said:


> mathchick: I'm sure they'll be greathe. Let us know what you think when you open the first jar.


will do - maybe I've discovered something awesome.


----------



## shellybo (Nov 9, 2013)

mathchick said:


> Hi all, thought I'd share my oopsie in case you find in amusing (or have similar oopsies!)
> 
> I've been wanting to try canning pickled crab apples for as long as I've been canning (less than a year) - since it is one of the first canned things I've ever tried and I remember thinking it's amazing. Well, after thinking I had missed the crab apple season - I discovered not one, but two trees right outside my new apartment! My husband and I went out and shook trees, I stood on his shoulders to get enough good ones to can before they froze.
> 
> Anyway - after the brine was boiling away, and all the apples had been sorted through I realized I hadn't actually checked that they were crab apples - tasted one from each tree and they're sweet as can be. I guess I'm going to have VERY sweet "pickled" apples to find some use for. hope this gives someone a laugh.


Hi mathchick, maybe crab apples don't want to be crabby anymore ;-). The odd thing is there is a tree outside my church that for years people said they were crab apples and no one would eat them. Since I started canning this year the other day I decided to pick several to make jelly. Well I decided to taste one and they were sweet too! Like a Johnny gold apple! Very strange!


----------



## shellybo (Nov 9, 2013)

mathchick said:


> Hi all, thought I'd share my oopsie in case you find in amusing (or have similar oopsies!)
> 
> I've been wanting to try canning pickled crab apples for as long as I've been canning (less than a year) - since it is one of the first canned things I've ever tried and I remember thinking it's amazing. Well, after thinking I had missed the crab apple season - I discovered not one, but two trees right outside my new apartment! My husband and I went out and shook trees, I stood on his shoulders to get enough good ones to can before they froze.
> 
> Anyway - after the brine was boiling away, and all the apples had been sorted through I realized I hadn't actually checked that they were crab apples - tasted one from each tree and they're sweet as can be. I guess I'm going to have VERY sweet "pickled" apples to find some use for. hope this gives someone a laugh.


mathchick, can you share how you make your pickled apples? I have about 1/2 bushel of apples ( courland and lady gold)I need to do something with. I plan to make apple pie filling with some, dry some, make chutney ( which I have never done before ;-). Never had a picked apple but interested in how you make them and how long they keep. Thanks!!!


----------



## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

shellybo said:


> mathchick, can you share how you make your pickled apples? I have about 1/2 bushel of apples ( courland and lady gold)I need to do something with. I plan to make apple pie filling with some, dry some, make chutney ( which I have never done before ;-). Never had a picked apple but interested in how you make them and how long they keep. Thanks!!!


I just followed the crab apple pickle recipe from the blue book. I'm not sure I'd recommend it though - I'm guessing they're going to be sickeningly sweet since the recipe calls for enough sugar to make crab apples sweet. I'll try to open and taste within the next few days and let you know how they taste.


----------



## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

In case anyone is curious - they're sickeningly sweet! ugh. I'll be tossing these. using regular apples for a pickled crab apple recipe is gross!


----------



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

What about using them on icecream or something like that?


----------



## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Crabapples are one of the few tree fruits that actually grow up here somewhat reliably. I've found crabapples that were bigger than they should be, and ones that are sweeter than they should be; and apples that were smaller than they should be, and ones that were tarter than they should be... so I guess small doesn't mean crab or tart  I use McIntosh and Granny Smiths for pickled apples, with half the sugar (or less!) than the Ball recipe... I don't even use _that_ much sugar on crabs that are tart enough to curl your tongue in a knot! I actually find most of Ball's non-jam recipes to be too sweet; but maybe I'm just odd.


----------



## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

PlicketyCat said:


> Crabapples are one of the few tree fruits that actually grow up here somewhat reliably. I've found crabapples that were bigger than they should be, and ones that are sweeter than they should be; and apples that were smaller than they should be, and ones that were tarter than they should be... so I guess small doesn't mean crab or tart  I use McIntosh and Granny Smiths for pickled apples, with half the sugar (or less!) than the Ball recipe... I don't even use _that_ much sugar on crabs that are tart enough to curl your tongue in a knot! I actually find most of Ball's non-jam recipes to be too sweet; but maybe I'm just odd.


that's good to know, if nothing else so I don't feel so weird for being similar. I tend to find many recipes waaaay too sweet. But then I think grapefruit are divine w/o added sugar and usually reduce the amount of sugar in baked things.


----------



## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

flowergurl said:


> What about using them on icecream or something like that?


that's a good idea - I just don't think I can bring myself to eat them, they're so sickeningly sweet. Ugh. I'd rather throw them away than eat them - and that's saying something!


----------



## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

mathchick said:


> that's good to know, if nothing else so I don't feel so weird for being similar. I tend to find many recipes waaaay too sweet. But then I think grapefruit are divine w/o added sugar and usually reduce the amount of sugar in baked things.


I eat grapefruit plain as well, or maybe with a little salt, but never sugar. When I can citrus and other fruit, I use as much of the natural juice as possible and only top off the jars with super extra-light syrup. I can't imagine canning _anything_ in heavy syrup :umno:
We don't eat alot of sweet baked goods either, but when I do make them I reduce the sugar and sweeteners too (except bearclaws and cinammon rolls which only DH eats). I even reduce the sugar in bread-n-butter pickles. Unless a certain amount of a sweetener is necessary for the proper chemical reaction, I almost always reduce it.

But the crazy thing... coffee. I'm one of those people who takes a splash of coffee with my cream and sugar 

Anyway, I learned long ago to make a small batch of a new recipe before commiting all my produce to it, and every year I sample to check seasoning/sweetness throughout the whole prep process before anything goes in the canner. Just because something was good last year, doesn't mean it's going to be _exactly_ the same this year, especially not with homegrown and homemade. Most recipes are just suggestions in this house ROFL


----------



## jkhs (Sep 17, 2010)

Mathchick, it's a bummer about the pickled apples, but on a positive note you've found some trees that produce apples that will make an awesome applesauce, jelly or juice next season. My family loves to drink warm spiced crabapple juice.


----------



## gimpy (Sep 18, 2007)

use them in a cake and omit the regular sugar


----------



## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

I'd probably use them in pie or cobbler with tart baking apples and omit the sugar.


----------



## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

Wow - some good ideas. I've started eliminating the sugar in my all purpose muffin/pancake recipe since I replace the milk with applesauce or the light syrup from canned citrus. So this would work perfectly. I'll still toss the apples - it was an experiment and they were free, so I'm not at all upset.


----------

