I was reading a bit about Crabapple trees online because there's this huge crabapple tree in my parents' front yard that has been there since before they moved in about 32 years ago. I was curious about what kind it is, and from what I've read, it looks just like a Malus sylvestris, which is supposedly native to Europe. When it says native to Europe, does that mean it only grows in Europe, or can this crabapple tree in my yard actually be a Malus sylvestris? I live in Connecticut, USA. I've made crabapple pie from the fruit from it a couple of times. It was kind of weird, but good. lol.
Native to Europe means that it only grows wild (with no history of human assistance) in Europe. It can also be deliberately planted by people in other areas. My guess is that someone grew your tree from an apple pip.
Never thought of trying crabapple pie! I love crabapple jelly and my mom used to home can spiced crabapples seasoned with cinnamon and cloves when I was a child. They might also make a nice base for mint jelly if you didn't mind it being pink or orangey instead of an artificial bright green. They are also nice if simmered gently in sugar syrup and served with roast pork or over vanilla ice cream.
Ooh, simmered and served with pork sounds yummy! Yeah, I forgot where I saw the recipe for the crabapple pie, but I decided to try it, and I spent a really long time gathering enough crabapples off the tree, and then I cut them from around the core. It was pretty tedious because these apples are so small (a little bigger than a quarter in diameter, but a little longer than that lengthwise) you definitely can't use a corer. lol. But then I accidentally used lemon extract instead of lemon JUICE like the recipe called for, so it was REALLY SOUR, but I really liked it. My family said the same thing. "Wow, it's sour... but good!" Then the second time I made it, I decided to just slice the apples without coring them (but making sure to take the seeds out!) because the core is so small I thought it would soften up while it bakes. ...well, it didn't. The pie tasted good, but I didn't like the feel of the cores still in it. eww.
