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Canning, Canning Low-Acid Foods, Featured, Food Preservation, Fruit Butters and Spreads, Homemade, In the Kitchen

How to Make Crab Apple Butter

September 16, 2014

Crab Apple Butter

Crab Apple Butter is a delicious novelty from my homestead. It’s sweet, tart, and has a beautiful pink color. I love giving it as a gift to friends and family. It’s a perfect conversation starter. 

If you like Crab Apple Butter, you might like to make How to Make Crab Apple Jelly and Crab Apple Sauce.

Affiliate Disclosure! MamasHomestead.com contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I will make a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us and keeping our website going.

Tools you will need for making Crab Apple Butter:

Paring knife

A large sauce pan

Food mill

Bowl or another pan to run the food mill over

Measuring cups and spoons

Prepared canning jars and lids

Clean damp cloth

Jar lifter

Water-Bath Canner

Cooling rack or clean, dry towel

crab applesIngredients for Crab Apple Butter

4 to 6 pounds crab apples

*Select crab apples that are fresh, ripe, firm, and blemish free.  Wash and quarter your apples, keeping the seeds.

1 cup water

4 cups of pure cane sugar

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

Instructions for Crab Apple Butter

 Place your washed and quartered crab apples in a large sauce pan, add 1 cup of water to start the cooking process, and heat to simmering.

cooked crab applesCook until apples are softened, stirring them often to keep them from sticking to the pan.

Crab apples after sieveRun apples through a food mill or sieve.  Measure 4 cups of crab apple pulp and return to your sauce pan, bring to a simmer. For every 4 cups of crab apple pulp, add 4 cups sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon cloves.

Finished Crab apple butterSlowly, simmer the crab apple pulp until it is your desired thickness, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Fruit butters usually have a thick, creamy spreadable consistency. It will look a little shiny and cling to your spoon.

Crab apple butter on spoonRefrigerate and enjoy it now…or can it for later.

Canning Crab Apple Butter

Ladle your crab apple butter into hot prepared jars to within ½ inch of the rim of the jar. Wipe the rim of your jar with a clean, damp cloth. Place your lids onto your jars, making sure the rubber seal meets the jar rim. Screw on the metal ring/band firmly.

Use a jar lifter to place your jars of crab apple butter in to a boiling water bath. Process your crab apple butter for 10 minutes (time indicated for 1,000 feet above sea level).

When the time is complete turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and allow the canner to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove your jars of crab apple butter from the canner, place them on a cooling rack or dry kitchen towel two inches apart to cool. Some of the bands may seem loose at this point, do not re-tighten them.

After 12 hours, check to see if the jars have sealed, the center of the lid should be concaved and not able to flex. Remove the metal bands/rings; carefully try to pull the lid off with your finger tips to check the seal again. Place any unsealed jars in the refrigerator and use as soon as possible or reprocess starting over with new jars and lids.

Allow sealed jars to cool for 24 hours. Wash the jars (especially the threads) and label them with contents and date. Store your crab apple butter in a cool, dry place away from light.

Thank you for visiting Mama’s Homestead!

~Nelle

Crab Apple Butter
2014-09-16 13:58:19
Crab Apple Butter is a delicious novelty from my homestead. It’s sweet, tart, and has a beautiful pink color. I love giving it as a gift to friends and family. It’s a perfect conversation starter.
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Ingredients
  1. Ingredients for Crab Apple Butter
  2. 4 to 6 pounds crab apples
  3. Select crab apples that are fresh, ripe, firm, and blemish free. Wash and quarter your apples, keeping the seeds.
  4. 1 cup water
  5. 4 cups of pure cane sugar
  6. 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  7. ½ teaspoon cloves
Instructions
  1. Instructions for Crab Apple Butter
  2. Place your apples in a large sauce pan, add 1 cup of water to start the cooking process, and heat to simmering.
  3. Cook until apples are softened, stirring them often to keep them from sticking to the pan.
  4. Run apples through a food mill or sieve. Measure 4 cups of crab apple pulp and return to your sauce pan, bring to a simmer. Add sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.
  5. Slowly, simmer the crab apple pulp until it is your desired thickness, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Enjoy it now…or can it for later.
Notes
  1. Fruit butters usually have a thick, creamy spreadable consistency. It will look a little shiny and cling to your spoon.
By Nelle Weaver
Mama’s Homestead http://www.mamashomestead.com/
apple butter recipe canning
by Nelle 
9 Comments

About Nelle

I am Nelle. I grew up in rural, small town, Ohio. When I was young, I learned a lot about homesteading from my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, 4-H, FFA, and others around me. Now, I’m all grown up, have 6 children of my own, and plan to teach them everything I know. Here on Mama’s Homestead, we talk and write about homesteading, homeschooling, and kidsteading (homesteading with kids). We teach our kids about survival, self-sufficiency, gardening (vegetable, herb, flower), orchard, beekeeping, home keeping, soap making, harvesting, cooking, food preservation, livestock, nature, crafts, homesteading tools and wares, and more… Welcome to my homestead…come and learn with us!

View all posts by Nelle

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Comments

  1. Donna says: October 11, 2015 at 8:07 am

    Thank you Nellie. Just what was needed. We’ve been planting various apple and crabapple seeds for years, and this year one tree is full of beautiful plump crabapples. Needed good clear recipe and instructions. Thank you so much.

    in upstate NY

    Reply
  2. Joyce says: August 6, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    How many pints should this make?

    Reply
  3. Anna Campbell says: August 8, 2017 at 10:43 am

    Does this recipe do well with green crabapples? How can I tell if mine are ripe?

    Reply
  4. Lori says: August 31, 2017 at 10:11 pm

    I really want to make this, but ONE cup of water for 4-6 lbs of apples??

    Reply
  5. Oscar says: September 4, 2017 at 11:55 pm

    Hi Nelle, just made this recipe with my wife, our first time canning too! Taste great and the instructions were easy to follow – thank you! We added 1/2 tsp of nutmeg but either way this apple butter is perfect. Thanks again, Oscar & Bri (Wyoming)

    Reply
  6. Rachael La Friniere says: September 10, 2018 at 2:08 am

    Its 1am in the morning. I started this afternoon peeling with my great neice. We did about 6lbs of crab apples.we got 2 big jars and seven 12ounce jars and one 8oz jar. Thanks for the help it turned ou amazing. I can hear the seals popping in the back right now. Going to try jelly and applesauce tomorrow with the last 6 lb batch.

    Reply
  7. Daisy Tucker says: May 17, 2019 at 7:18 am

    Supple jelly but I am so happy to find your crab apple butter Thank You so much for sharing it

    Reply

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Welcome to my homestead!

Hello, I'm Nelle Weaver!
I grew up on a small farm in Ohio and experienced various aspects of homesteading. I learned many skills from my grandparents and parents and from being involved in 4-H and FFA.  
My husband and I write about our simple life here on Mama's Homestead and teach classes on our homestead in central Ohio, where we raise goats, chickens, and rabbits, have an orchard, garden, keep bees, and much more. Read More…

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