Crabapple Chutney – Perfect for Poultry, Pork & Various Cheeses

What to do with crabapples? So small, yet so pretty! I have generally ignored them, until this past fall when I planted a crabapple tree in my little orchard. I am now harvesting beautiful, little red crabapples. Perfect for Crabapple Chutney. I have been watching them ripen and making plans for cooking them. I went out to harvest them only to discover that the deer had gotten into my orchard area and almost cleaned off my little tree. There were only a few apples left at the top. Thankfully, enough to make a batch of Crabapple Chutney.

My Gravenstein apple tree that I planted at least 10 years ago was simply not producing. I might get 5-10 apples a year. My grandma used to have a Gravenstein tree, which is why I planted mine, and hers produced bushels! After much research, I found out that the Gravenstein is a triploid pollinated tree, which means it needs at least two pollinator trees. These pollinator trees not only have to be compatible as pollinators, they have to be in bloom at the same time. It took me 10 years to figure this out! I had a one pollinator, but not two. So, I planted a little crabapple tree last fall, and low-and-behold, I have Gravensteins this year! And, as a bonus, little crabapples to boot!

I had in mind to make a Crabapple Chutney with my harvest. I envisioned a pretty, yet flavorful, sauce to top my pork chops, turkey, or even lamb. The product of my experimenting is just that – a lovely chutney that tops pork and poultry perfectly. It also is wonderful sitting atop a rosemary flatbread cracker, loaded with either brie or goat cheese.

Crabapple Chutney – Perfect for Poultry, Pork, and Various Cheeses

Crabapple Chutney filled with warm spices and sweet crabapples, balanced by the tang of citrus and apple cider vinegar

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Prep Time:30 minutes mins

Cook Time:30 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: Crabapple, Crabapple Chutney, Crabapple Orange Chutney, Crabapple Pork, Crabapple Sauce

Servings: 2 cups – approximately

Ingredients

• 12 oz Crabapples, diced and cored – about 1# whole should give you 12oz diced 12oz measured after chopped, peeled, and cored. If you don't have a full 12oz, you can add diced, tart apple (like Granny Smith or Gravenstein) to fill out your crabapples.
• 1/2 Medium Orange, about 4-5 sections
• 1/2 cup Raisins
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon – a slight 1/2 tsp
• 1/8 tsp Cloves – a slight 1/8 tsp
• Pinch of Salt

Instructions

• Core and dice the Crabapples. Weigh diced crabapples and add diced apple (Granny Smith or similar) if needed to bring weight up to 12oz.
• Peel and dice Orange sections.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a pan. Stir to combine.
  
• Bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer until the Crabapples are tender – about 30 minutes – and the chutney thickens.
  
• Scoop directly onto Pork, Poultry, or Lamb.
  
• If using for cheeses, cool first before using.
  
• You can store in sterile, airtight jar for 4-6 weeks, in the coolest part of your refrigerator. You can also process with "water bath" canning method to can your chutney for much longer storage.

Notes

This recipe makes about 2 cups of Crabapple Chutney, enough for a couple meals and some cheese and crackers.  It is definitely scaleable, if you would like to make more and can for later use.