Spring Is In the Air, & Everywhere!

Spring is (almost) here!  I say that lightly, because here in North Carolina, it has been a very mild winter, allowing for an early Spring, and I could not be happier!  The trees are budding...and you know what that means?!?!  It means the fruits of our trees and plants will be here very soon!

So, during the first week of March, I ventured out of the cupboard and looked for the first signs of Spring.  To my surprise, I found my lilies popping above ground.  My outside cat, Amber, was rolling in the warm sun, watching the birds.  And last but certainly not least, I found the cherry, peach, and crabapple trees with tiny innocent little blooms!  What a nice surprise!  Guess it's time to start cleaning out the flower beds!   

Crabapples are such a yummy treat!

The low branches were hanging full!

The center contains seeds like an apple.

These tiny and tart fruits are similar in appearance to apples.  They grow in bunches with a stem similar to those of cherries.  They have an extremely tart flavor, comparable to lemons.

Crabapples are grown normally for their ornamental abilities.  But I was curious.  Since they were an edible fruit, I figured there had to be some way to utilize the bearing fruit.  The only recipes that I found were for jelly, chutneys, or cooked in addition to another ingredient, mainly because they are inedible by themselves.  They are packed with a natural fruit gelatin called pectin, which is the ingredient that causes jelly to thicken.  When cooked with sugar and pushed through a sieve, they produce this wonderful, flavorful, vibrant, ruby jelly.

Crabapples are very labor intensive.  I spent about half an hour plucking these delights from the tree.  I was accompanied by the sound of a gray dove somewhere in the distance, and a light breeze to keep me cool.

Wonderful as an afternoon snack!

Next I took them inside, removed the stems (which was no easy task), and thoroughly washed them to remove the bloom ends.  They were then cut, cooked, and strained.  Sugar was added, and the pulp was reduced once more.  Then it was poured into a glass jar and allowed to cool overnight. Definitely well worth the wait...even Charles enjoyed it!

From my very own tree!

There is absolutely nothing better than harvesting your own fruit to fill your own tummy and fridge...