Crab Apples

Look out for crab apples. They are not ideal for Halloween apple games such as bobbing for apples or apple on a string as they are far too tart to be eaten raw but are used to make crab apple jelly and jam. Valued for its sugar content long ago when sugar was scarce, crab apples were stored for the winter. It was one of the noble trees along with oak – protected under Brehon Laws. Trees were cultivated on ring forts and townland boundaries. Many trees now found in hedges were planted only two hundred years ago and are hybrids between wild and cultivated apples. Crab apple is part of our native Irish biodiversity.