“Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.”
Robert H. Schuller
Looks like a cherry right? It’s not and I promise you I’m not bluffing. These are crabapples. I saw them when I browsing the produce asile at Central Market. They are by far the tiniest apples that I have ever seen. Okay.. I’m guilty. I did buy them because they were so tiny and cute but I couldn’t resist. I didn’t intend on eating them, I bought them just for photo taking purposes. But eventually I felt bad for wasting food so I tried one, worst idea ever. Let’s do some research first.
What are crab apples?
Crabapples are small, extremely tart fruits in the same genus as table apples. The fruits and their trees look remarkably like apples, which can lead to unfortunate confusion, as the taste of crabapples is rather distinctive, and often unpleasant on its own.
Because the flavor alone is distasteful, crabapples are sometimes added to other dishes as a supplement. A few crabapples in a batch of cider, for example, can make the end flavor more interesting and complex. They are also pickled for use in chutneys and savory sauces.
The place where crabapples come into their own is crabapple jelly. The small fruits are high in pectic, a natural fruit based gelatin, and when they are cooked with a liberal helping of sugar, they develop a rich, flavorful, very tart ruby red jelly which some consumers find quite delightful.
