Pickle Recipes - Crab Apples

Before you pickle anything, make sure it tastes good.

1 cinnamon stick, broken
1 teaspoon allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 pounds crab apples

Pute the spices into a spice bag or tie them in a scrap of cheesecloth. Put them in a non-reactive pot with the vinegar, sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then remove it from the heat and cool.

Pierce each apple through with a large needle or skewer to keep it from bursting. Put the apples into the syrup and bring it slowly to a simmer. Simmer the apples for about 15 minutes, until they are tender and translucent. Remove the spice bag.

Pack the apples into sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace. Bring the remaining syrup to a boil and pour it over the apples (leaving the 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace). Seal the jars with hot two-piece caps.