Martha Stewart Made Prison Jelly With This Underrated Fruit - Tasting Table

"Stewart has long touted the merits of crab apples and encouraged that the small, tart fruits can not only be eaten but offer pretty blooms to gaze at in the spring. She has encouraged home owners to add crabapple trees to their own gardens for added fragrance and aesthetic appeal. Due to their tartness, however, Stewart has admitted that these tiny apples are not ideal for snacking but are better used for chutneys, jams, and preserves."

"On Martha Stewart's website, Stewart explains that both jelly and jams can be made from an assortment of fruits, and that includes small, bitter crab apples. Whereas jelly has all fruit solids strained out of the final recipe, jam often contains pieces of mashed fruit in each spoonful. A recipe to make jelly or jam out of collected fruit can be put together in 45 minutes to serve or store for later use in canning containers like Bell jars with air-tight lids."

"Original PB&J sandwiches were made with crab apple jelly, and crab apples can also be used to make cider or be incorporated into baking projects like pies, tarts, and bread. Recipes for crab apple jam can be made with fruit, water, sugar, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkle of salt. Once cooled, this jammy creation can be stored in the fridge for a"

Martha Stewart served five months after being sentenced for obstruction of justice and observed some ingredients were years past their listed expiration dates. She picked crab apples from trees on the 105-acre compound and used them to make jam to improve prison meals. Crab apples are small and tart, offering attractive spring blooms and better uses in chutneys, jams, preserves, cider, and baking than snacking. Jelly strains out fruit solids while jam contains mashed fruit pieces. A jelly or jam recipe can be prepared in about 45 minutes and stored in canning jars. Typical jam ingredients include fruit, water, sugar, lemon, and salt.

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