The wild apple is enjoying growing popularity in natural gardens. In the wild, the tree is becoming increasingly rare, although the fruits offer a valuable change from cultivated apples. They have been used for thousands of years and are now used to make various desserts.
The wild apple should be eaten raw only sparingly
fruit
After the flowering period, which lasts from April to May, the wild apple develops fruit. The apples ripen from September and have a slightly shriveled outer skin that is yellow-green or sometimes red in color. They are much smaller than cultivated apples and reach a diameter of between two and four centimetres.
The apples contain large amounts of tannic acid and therefore taste very sour and tart. The flesh is firm and has a woody consistency, giving the species the name crab apple. The seeds contain small amounts of amygdalin. Chewing them can release hydrocyanic acid.
Toxic effect of hydrocyanic acid:
- headache and dizziness
- nausea and vomiting
- deadly in high amounts
story
The wild apple has a millennia-old tradition of use. Already since 5,000 BC. The fruits of the small tree are harvested and further processed. Romans and Greeks used apples to make wine. In the 17th century, the sour fruit served as the basis for making beer.
wild apple today
Because of the bitter taste, wild apples should not be eaten raw. The high pectin content makes the fruit an ideal ingredient for natural applesauce. They give the paste a thicker consistency than cultivated apples and can be used to make jellies or fruit spreads.
In addition to pectin and tannic acids, the fruits contain vitamins A, B and C as well as fructose and trace elements. The taste of the apples is variable and depends on the location. Numerous varieties have developed in nature, as the wild apple crosses with cultivated apples. Therefore, the size of the fruits sometimes differs significantly.
Wild apple jelly with lavender:
- cut a kilogram of crab apples into pieces
- Boil with two sprigs of lavender in 1.5 l of water
- After an hour of cooking, strain the liquid through a cloth
- add 450 g of sugar for every 600 ml of liquid
- simmer for eight to ten minutes