My Grandmother used to make Candied Crabapples, that tasted like tiny versions of the candied apples that you get at the fair. They go perfectly as a addition to a ham or pork dinner. My sweet daughter is getting married on Thanksgiving weekend, so I made them to go with the dinner.
So for a small batch:
I picked, and washed about 3 pounds of crabapples. I only used the best apples for these, the others, with little scaly bits or little bruises were boiled down and made into apple sauce. Leave the little stem on the apples, they are going in whole.
Now, I don’t grow crabapples, so my daughter and I went for a drive along a country road and found several trees. Make sure you try them. Some of the apples I sampled were a little mealy, and one was far too tart. The one that made the best apples tasted like a small version of a MacIntosh.
Make a 1 to 1 simple syrup.
I used 2 cups of granulated sugar to 2 cup water. Yes, yes, I know, it sounds like a lot, however you are only adding couple little apples to your plate, this isn’t to be eaten alone with a spoon…unless you had some ice cream, then it might be ok.
I threw in a cinnamon stick and three whole cloves for flavor. I also added a little red food colouring to make my syrup pink. There is no need to do this it i purely aesthetic.
When it comes to a boil, add all of the apples. You will boil them until the skins just start to break. Remove from the heat and bottle in canning jars.
I then put them in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. I had the water already boiling, because the internal temperature of the jar should be the same. If you plunged it into cool water, the jars might crack.
Place on a dishtowel until completely cooled.
