Hi, i just bought a house and it has a crabapple tree. I was wondering if anyone knows if crabapples are fruits that are commonly eaten, if so where. also, are there food companies that sell crabapples as a product or if they might use them as an ingredient?yoi can reach me at the following e-mail address: robertm3210@yahoo.com
Various kinds are planted specifically for eating. To some any apple producing fruits below a certain size (1 inch diameter?) is a crabapple.
being that it is winter and there are no fruits on the tree at this time, can you tell what kind of tree or what kind of apples grow on it? thanx for the info it is greatly appreciated!
If you have one of the hundreds of kinds of crabapples (Malus) planted in North America for ornamental use alone then it probably won't be of much use for eating. Some Malus are strictly for looking at, some are dual purpose (edible fruit but also having attributes of first group), others are considered primarily orchard varieties.
can you tell by looking at a pic taken wintertime? the reason its so important to me is that according to my religion you are not allowed to cut down a tree that grows fruit that is comonly eaten. I hope to be able to extend my house, but this tree is in the way. I need an expert opinion to help me through this problem. The more info I get, the better decision I can make.- so if its a malus, what do you mean "it wont be much use for eating"?
Thank you so much again for being helpful. i can check, but i dont think so. According to the old owner it did'nt grow anything last season.When should it start blooming? by the way whats your expertise?
On matters of special concern such as religious tenets, you are better off to seek out (or purchase) advice / knowledge from either a certified arborist (who will consult in person) or visiting something like the Walk-In plant resources clinic at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, with a sample in hand (you will need fruit). While I would trust Ron B's ID for this plant if enough facts were presented online to identify it, that is not the case here. There are only enough facts to accumulate uncertainty. Therefore, for your own peace of mind, you'll need to make the extra effort and pay someone who can consult on-site, or visit a place who can answer with certainty, sample in hand.
Even though a flowering tree may not produce what some people would call an edible fruit, the fruit may still be edible but not have the sugar content, flavor or the flesh consistency of a fruiting tree or shrub (a fruiting Quince and a flowering Quince come to mind here). We are not in the business of telling people it is okay to knock down a tree unless the tree cannot be saved or is too far gone to be saved. I suggest when the tree is in bloom that you contact your nearest cooperative extension office, bring in a limb from your tree and ask them what variety of Crabapple it is that you have. You can ask them if the fruit is edible or not and tell them why you asked them that question and then see the look on their faces when they tell you the answer. Still, the final decision is yours to make that you can find peace with as far as taking the tree out for reasons other than personal ones or for the good of the tree or to help protect other plants. We cannot get into a religious discussion here unless someone from your same faith wants to chime in and give you some pointers but to most of us it is the tree, as is, that is important. Not the wanton removal of it unless it is something that just has to be or needs to be done due to the decline of the tree or due to the nature of the tree itself. If your Crabapple showed signs of pneumallaria (spelling?) canker then sure take it out as it will not get any better for you and do what you want with the grounds. You've already had contact with someone (Ron B) that will pretty well know what variety of Crabapple that you have is (by the way Mr. Ron did not get Plant Expert status in this forum due to his good looks. He is most deserving of that designation and earned our indebted respect in the process of attaining such a title in this forum. His qualifications in plants are not an issue here as he has proved he is quite capable of being held in such meritorious acclaim by the rest of us). So, whatever you want to know from this point forward has to rely on you to supply the needed information for others online and offline to have a better idea of what your tree is. Sorry guys but I could not leave this topic alone. There is a principle involved here. Jim
Thanks for the compliments. If retaining a local expert is an option it should certainly be possible for them to determine if the tree is an orchard cultivar (apple tree, in the common sense) or an ornamental cultivar (flowering crabapple). It sounds like this is all you really need. Pinning it down to specific cultivar ('Delicious', 'Almey'...) is vastly more difficult, with flowering crabapples particularly both fruits and flowers need to be seen so it is a slow process requiring visits to the tree both in spring and in summer (unless the tree is a locally common, highly distinctive kind).
Here in Wales/UK we, as children were sent to gather crabapples for jelly/jam making, and being kids would try the produce as we picked, I have tasted many different types, and apart from some being sour,most were nice to eat[even if they did give us bad bellies from eating to many]. They taste wonderful made into a jelly and served with roast pork. johnwyn[chef]
i understand what you mean, but I am just trying to get an idea of what i am dealing with here. I dont know to much about trees let alone crabapple trees. I am not asking anyone here to give me an answer on my religeous issue, I just need to get an "experts" opinion". I am trying to get throught o the ny botanical garden, but have not had much success so far (its been a few days) attached, you will find pics of the tree. If anyone can tell me just by looking at it what kind of crabapple tree this is, it would help. Thanx!
We have individual County Farm Advisors offices around here whereby a Farm Advisor would be in charge of Horticulture. The county horticulturist would be the person we would contact to identify a Crabapple. New York works a little differently in that I think your cooperative extension is run through Cornell. I believe there is a cooperative extension branch in New York City if you are close to Brooklyn. Below is a link you can sort through to find the nearest office to you. Cornell Cooperative Extension I doubt anyone will be able to tell which form or variety of Crabapple you have without seeing the tree in bloom and leafed out. Just seeing the tree in bloom can fool us as we should see the leaf colors also. Most Crabapples are not the fruiting forms but are the more commonly seen and planted ornamental forms instead. We call the latter Flowering Crabapples here. There is a fine line that separates what is an edible form and what isn't. Technically the fruit from most of the ornamental flowering forms can be eaten but there are some of these trees that produce fruit that is not very good for eating. If we were starving we can eat them but we generally try not to eat them if given a choice. There are forms of Crabapple that are grown for their fruit, just like we have some Flowering Plums grown here, both as ornamental flowering plants and for their fruit. the reason its so important to me is that according to my religion you are not allowed to cut down a tree that grows fruit that is comonly eaten. More than likely the tree in question does not have fruit that is commonly eaten. To be more sure just wait and take a branch in bloom and in leaf to your nearest cooperative extension office and ask them what kind of Crabapple it is and ask is the fruit of edible value. If the tree turns out to be a fruiting Crabapple then you may want to go to the expense of moving it to another location if you want to extent your deck if that is your real intention. There is another way to deal with this situation. Have someone graft a scion from your tree and grow some plants of it to be replacements and then once you know the offspring will live then take the tree down. At least then you do not have to worry about making such a decision as you have compensated for the loss of the tree. Jim
