The spherical ornamental apples shine promisingly in autumn from the bush and tree. So the obvious question is whether to use the edible fruit for culinary purposes. Explore delicious recipes for processing into fruity jelly, aromatic potato and apple puree and invigorating fruit schnapps.

Ornamental apples are often a bit sour when raw, but can be processed into delicious jam or jelly

This is how you conjure up a refreshing jelly from ornamental apples

Some of the most gorgeous ornamental apple varieties bear a tart-tart load of edible fruit in the fall. The crowd favorite 'Evereste' is one of them, as is the classic 'Golden Hornet'. Fresh from the tree, however, the apples do not taste nearly as good as after processing into jelly. The following recipe is doing the rounds among hobby gardeners:

  • Cut 1 kg of washed ornamental apples into cubes and sprinkle with cinnamon
  • Pour 500 ml of cider over the wild apples, add 1 tablespoon of lemon balm and cook for 40 minutes
  • Juice the fruit pulp through a cheesecloth overnight

The next day, add 1 kg of preserving sugar (1:1) to 1 l of crabapple juice and boil everything up. The hot jelly is filled into clean screw-top jars and can be kept for up to 1 year.

Recipe suggestion for mashed potatoes with crabapple

The fruity, sour taste of crab apples harmonises wonderfully with the mild aroma of potatoes. Surprise your loved ones with this crab apple puree as an accompaniment to hearty meat dishes:

  • Wash 30 cherry-sized ornamental apples, divide and cook for 10 minutes
  • Strain the fruit pulp through a sieve to remove the pips
  • At the same time, boil 8 medium-sized, peeled potatoes in salted water
  • Process apple puree and potatoes with 200 ml to a puree

At the end, taste the crab apple puree with salt, pepper and nutmeg and garnish with roasted onions.

Fruit schnapps with a kick - this is how it works with Zierapfel

Zierapfel and Schnaps are a duo that get along well. Within minutes, you'll be processing this year's harvest into a liquor that packs a punch. Put 800 g of fruit without stems in a carafe with 400 g of sugar, 1 sachet of vanilla sugar and 3 cloves. Then add 0.7 liters of fruit schnapps or vodka and leave the mixture tightly closed for 6 weeks.

tips

In contrast to its big brother, the cultivated apple, you cannot optimize the fruit size or harvest yield of the ornamental apple by pruning. Therefore, prune the shrub or tree sparingly or not at all. The only thing you should not do without is an annual thinning out in late winter.

Category:

Garden design