Their heady blossoms and fine fruit are loved by birds, and make for excellent jellies and jams
The scent of a crab apple in flower, sweet and spring-like, is reason enough to plant one – and now is the best time. And when all that heady blossom has gone and the green leaves have faded, you finally get those fine fruit: small baubles of smoky purples, brilliant reds and oranges, and royal yellows that dangle on long peduncles in the wind and shatter into colourful carpets below. Their flavour runs the gamut from tart and tannin to truly sweet. The high pectin content and colour of the fruit make them excellent for jellies, but also for setting jams.
Or you could just sit back and watch the bird life. Softened crab apples are highly prized in deep winter. The fruit of some cultivars will persist right through into January before the weather beats them into a sweetness suitable for blackbirds.
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