Crabapple trees are abundant in my neighborhood, and I’ve written in the past about using the fruit to make crabapple sauce. You can use crabapple sauce in baking in the same way you would use applesauce. I always make a large batch and freeze it in half-pint containers. Then I can enjoy eating and baking with it all year round.

Here’s a recipe for a tasty quick bread using crabapple sauce. Of course, you could use applesauce instead if that is what you have available.

Crabapple Sauce Bread

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp each cinnamon, ginger
• 1/4 tsp each nutmeg, allspice, cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 c olive oil (or other oil)
• 1/4 c plain yogurt
• 1 c crabapple sauce
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c chopped walnuts

Sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until well combined. Beat in the oil, yogurt, crabapple sauce, and vanilla. Fold in the flour and nuts. Bake in a greased bread pan at 350° for 45-50 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely

Local analysis of the loaf I made last week

Local – crabapple sauce (from my freezer, made last fall from fruit from neighborhood trees), eggs (from local farm via co-op), yogurt (homemade from milk from local farm via co-op)

Non Local – flours, baking soda, spices, salt, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, walnuts