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It’s a question as old as time. Surely our ancestors asked themselves this same question, though they didn’t use the word we use today.
It’s a question is still asked by gardeners around the world, especially if they see their child pick up something from the ground and go for a huge bite:
Can you eat crabapples?
This question is often quickly followed by other related questions:
- “Are crab apples safe to eat?”
- “How is crabapple fruit different from regular apples?”
- “What is a crabapple, anyway?!”
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What Is a Crabapple?
In his essay on “Wild Apples,” Henry David Thoreau said:
The domestic apple came from Kazakhstan and has been around some 6,000 years. Most of the apples we know of today, like Gala, Fuji, and Pink Lady, are hybridized from two originals: Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. Domestic apples are large and sweet compared to wild apples.
What does a crabapple look like? Well, the term “crabapple” doesn’t refer to a specific species. It’s merely a reference to size as wild apples are usually small. Their mature colors run from red to orange to yellow. In other words, crabapples are just miniature apples.
Types of Crabapples
While there are some differences between crabapple trees that are ornamental and those that are edible, each one will have its own special characteristics that make it perfect for whatever you are looking for in a tree.
- Dolgo grows to approximately 35 feet and can be ornamental or edible when used in jellies, sauces, and ciders. Its resistance to some diseases like scab and fireblight make it very friendly for home landscaping. You can actually eat these fresh as they are larger and sweeter as far as crabapples go. White flowers in spring and yellow leaves in fall make this one a pretty sight anywhere.
- Whitney Flowering Crab is a good choice when you need a shorter tree as it reaches 16 feet in maturity. The pink and white flowers attract birds and self-pollinate as well. Another type that produces larger and sweeter fruit than usual crabapples, this one is great for preserving, canning, and pickling.
- Centennial Crabapple is a semi-dwarf, measuring about eight feet, though it can reach about 15 feet on standard rootstock. What it lacks in autumn colors it makes up for in fruit good for spicing, jelly, apple butter, or eating straight off the tree.
- Chestnut Crabapple tolerates cold pretty well and produces a sweet, nutty-flavored fruit. It’s very friendly and helpful to other trees as a pollinator. It does well in jams, sauces, and other cooking.
- Hopa Flowering Crab blooms as fragrant pink-rose flowers with white stars in the center. While it is a bit more susceptible to diseases than other crabapple trees, it is still one of the toughest trees, good for Zone 2a. It is also one of the biggest at 25 feet.
- Pink Spires Flowering Crab grows a bit narrower than other trees to about 15 feet. It attracts birds with its flowers and shows off several colors in the fall, including bronze-green, red, and yellow. This one is better as an ornamental tree as the fruit doesn’t do so well in jams or jellies.
Are Crab Apples Edible?
The short answer is: yes, they are edible. For a more detailed answer, read on.
What do Crabapples Taste Like?
There are many types of crabapple trees, hundreds of hybrids even. And the taste varies across the line. Several of the larger kinds will produce fruit that is tasty enough right off the tree.
Some of those more edible types are mentioned above but there are many that are too sour and bitter even after the cooking process to eat. Perhaps if your children are prone to eating things found on the ground, a nice, sour one will cure them of those ills.
Are Crabapples Toxic?
The flesh of the crabapple itself doesn’t have any toxicity associated with it. However, like its cousin the apple, the seeds do contain cyanogenic glycosides, also known as cyanide!
Simply avoid eating the seed, the stem, and the leaves and you should be just fine, like eating any other apple. Even if you swallow a few seeds, they will most likely pass through your system without even breaking down. You would have to chew up a lot of seeds to get sick, about 200.
What About Side Effects?
The sourness of some crabapples may lead to a bit of sour stomach after eating. The symptoms of cyanide poisoning are more serious, such as shortness of breath, seizures, and loss of consciousness. But you don’t have to worry about that — just lay off the seeds, okay?
Are They Safe for Pets?
A lot of things that seem harmless to us are a more dangerous to our beloved furry friends. Crabapple consumption will most likely just cause some tummy issues for the family dog but the danger lies in the fact that some dogs will eat the apple in its entirety, leaves, stems, and seeds included. And they might not stop at one or two. If your dog is one of those canine vacuum cleaners, keep a careful eye on him when outdoors.
There is a higher danger for cattle and horses who eat these types of foods on a regular basis. Keep your fields fenced and your trees out of their reach and they should be dandy.
Final Thoughts on Eating Crabapples
Much as I would like to claim the superpower of looking into objects and being able to tell right away how yummy they are, I’m not necessarily going to be right every time, unless it’s my grandmother’s cheesecake. There’s no way to tell just by looking at a crabapple how sour or sweet it will be. If you know what type of crabapple it is, your luck will be greater for selection.
How to Use Crabapples
Though some of these apple miniatures appear better suited to a dollhouse kitchen, and probably taste just as wooden, there are several edible crabapple uses.
Crabapple Jellies
Jelly is made with apples and sugar so even the not-so-sweet crabapples will do well in this form. If you can up a lot of them, you also have gifts for every single relative on your Christmas list. And these gifts aren’t going to come back to haunt you like your aunt’s decades-old fruitcake.
Pickling Crabapples
I’ll admit apples aren’t the first thing that come to mind when I think of pickling things. Don’t knock it until you try it, especially when it means you might miss out on something delicious.
Crabapple Sauces
Rescue the deer from getting too fat on your crabapples to run from hunters and make crabapple sauce with some cinnamon and sugar. The deer don’t appreciate all the mouthwatering dishes those little fruits can make anyway.
Crabapple Butter
Another novelty gift is apple butter. Crabapples will give it a pretty pink color and a different sweet-tart flavor than boring, old yellow butter.
Crabapple Jams
If jam is your thing, give this video a look-see and a taste, then send me a jar for my birthday:
From now on, you can rest at ease whenever your kids grab a crabapple from a tree when you visit the uncle’s farm. Though you may expect a few tears if the ones they grab are quite crabby in flavor, it certainly won’t do them any harm and might teach them a life lesson or two.
I hope you also consider adding a few crabapple trees to your landscaping for the beautiful colors they bring and the appetizing (or potential for appetizing) fruits they bear. Don’t forget my birthday!
Please share this article with your friends and family and make sure to comment if you have any lingering questions. Thanks for stopping by!
