A Closer Look at Crabapples: Why They Might Be Worth Growing at Home

In terms of being a fruit, most of the time, crabapples get a bit of a crabby reception. They aren’t exactly thought of as a delicacy, if edible at all. They certainly are nothing like the red delicious or honey crisps we buy at the supermarket.

But, to think that crabapples don’t warrant a place in our kitchens and pantries would be off-base. For that matter, crabapple trees, too, are beautiful additions to mixed fruit orchards, food forests, or everyday suburban yards. In short, this tree and its fruit have deep roots in America, and they are due some respect.

With that in mind, it’s time we take a wander through the national parks and forests of the United States. It’s time to explore crabapples the native trees, as well as crabapples the versatile and useful fruit. It’s time to learn why crabapples are worth growing at home.

Crabapples & Apples

Source: Lake Lou/Flickr

Technically, what makes a crabapple a crabapple (versus an eating apple) and a crabapple tree (versus an orchard apple tree, aka Malus Domestica) is that the fruits are less than two inches across or nonexistent. Some crabapple trees are “flowering” crabapples that provide no fruit, akin to fruitless cherry trees.

Crabapples aren’t all that different than apples, only that they are wild, and like most wild versions of food, they have a stronger, often bitter, flavor. In general, crabapples are tart, a mix of sweet and sour that might make an unsuspecting face pucker should the mouth attached to it just gnaw into one.

The term crabapple tree refers to pretty much any wild apple tree (genus: Malus) or domesticated versions of them, and the term crabapple, as in fruit, refers to the significantly smaller apples.

Crabapples, The Long and Short of It

Source: David Ohmer/Flickr

Crabapple trees, like orchard apple trees, can grow to be around 40 feet tall, but they tend to hover somewhere in the 20-30-foot range with a similar crown. Like domesticated apples, they produce five-petaled flowers that can range between white and red.

These flowers are pollinated by insects, likely bees, and they often require cross-pollination to produce viable fruit. More than likely, a bee will happily perform this duty. Some of the highly domesticated apples are self-pollinating and don’t require this. Crabapples likely will.

Crabapple trees are fairly easy to grow. Though susceptible to much of the disease issues of orchard apples, they are wily cousins that can survive a bit better. However, due to the smaller, more difficult fruits, domesticated crabapple varieties are usually grown as ornamentals.

Crabapples Can Be More than Pretty!

Source: Martin LaBar/Flickr

Pretty as the trees may be with their early spring blossoms and their leaves in autumn, crabapples are edible and delicious and should not go overlooked. Like many fruits, particularly ones that are on the sour side, crabapples make for tasty jellies and jams.

Crabapples pair well with other fruits for interesting jams. It’s a great source of pectin for berry jams or hot pepper jelly. Similarly, it can be put into fruit leathers.

They can also be used for other classic apple dishes, such as crabapple sauce, crabapple butter, and crabapple pies. These little fruits can also be the heart of hard crabapple ciders and crabapple cider vinegar.

Unlike apples, pickled crabapples are a thing. The whole crabapple is softened in a sweetened liquid (vinegar, water, and sugar). The vinegar can be spiced up with cinnamon, cardamom, and/or cloves, too. Then, the whole crabapples are canned.

Growing a Crabapple Tree

Source: Daniel M. Hendricks/Flickr

Crabapple trees are a great addition to large and small landscapes. The trees aren’t big, but they pack a lot in, from early spring blooms to developing summer fruits to vivid leaves in autumn and long-stand crabapples still hanging in the wintertime.

Crabapples are agreeable to most USDA Hardiness Zones in the US, most comfortably nestled between Zones 4 and 8. That’s from Southern Maine down to the Mississippi Delta. They like the standard full-sun setting and well-drained soil that most fruit trees do.

Once established, crabapples are drought-resistant, but they need some consideration early on. Mulch newly planted trees with 3-4 inches of wood mulch, and water them during long spans with little rain. During the winter, prune branches that have died grown such that they rub other branches or grow straight upwards, i.e., water sprouts.

Crazy for Crabapples

Source: Wholesome Day/Youtube

Aside from offering up a useful and nutritious fruit, crabapple trees are a delight to have around. Their year-round beauty has garnered them, a viable fruit-producer, ornamental status. They entice bees and help provide them with sustenance in early spring when the pickings are slim. Even if humans aren’t eating the fruit, wildlife loves it. In other words, plant a crabapple tree somewhere.

Related Content:

• 8 Early Flowering Spring Trees
• 12 Trees Loved by Bees
• 9 Native, Fruit-Producing Trees of North America

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