Spiced crab apples

5 lb Crab apples
4 1/2 c Apple vinegar (5%)
3 3/4 c Water
7 1/2 c Sugar
4 ts Whole cloves
4 Cinnamon sticks
6 1/2" cubes ginger root
-(fresh)

Yield: About 9 pints

Procedure: Remove blossom petals and wash apples, but leave stems
attached. Puncture the skin of each apple four times with an ice pick
or toothpick. Mix vinegar, water, and sugar and bring to a boil. Add
spices tied in a spice bag or cheesecloth. Using a blancher basket or
sieve, immerse 1/3 of the apples at a time in the boiling
vinegar/syrup solution for 2 minutes. Place cooked apples and spice
bag in a clean 1- or 2-gallon crock and add hot syrup. Cover and let
stand overnight. Remove spice bag, drain syrup into a large saucepan,
and reheat to boiling. Fill pint jars with apples and hot syrup,
leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to the
recommendations in Table 1.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Spiced Crab Apples in a
boiling-water canner.

Style of Pack: Hot. Jar Size: Pints. Process Time at Altitudes of 0 -
1,000 ft: 20 min.
1,001 - 3,000 ft: 25 min.
3,001 - 6,000 ft: 30 min.
Above 6,000 ft: 35 min.

======================================================= ===== * USDA
Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539 (rev. 1994) * Meal-Master
format courtesy of Karen Mintzias