Baking With Wild Apples and a Wild Apple Pie

Last Updated on February 19, 2024 by Ellen Christian

Are you baking with wild apples? Wild apples are a bit different than store-bought. Learn how to make your wild apple recipes come out perfectly.

Baking with Wild Apples

We have several wild apple trees in our neighborhood. They grow wild in the woods and fields around where I live. I have no idea what variety of apples they are. They aren’t well taken care of and I’m sure they’ve been there growing wild for years. No one uses the apples so I decided to save a few from the squirrels and make a wild apple pie.

Baking with wild apples is a little bit different than baking with apples that come from trees that are cultivated. There are many different types of wild apple trees. You never know if they will be best for eating, applesauce, or baking. The best thing to do is to pick a few apples and eat them as is.

Apples that are tart are often best for baking. If the flesh is soft, it would work best for applesauce. Apples with firm flesh make wonderful pies.

What are wild apples?

Because wild apples aren’t cultivated, they aren’t sprayed to keep bugs away. The apples aren’t pretty like the ones you find in the grocery store. They are often oddly shaped or have marks on them.  They are probably smaller in size than what you’re used to. You often find then on long winding country roads at the corner of farm properties.

Don’t let this stop you. Baking with wild apples is still worth doing. Try them in my apple granola crisp recipe.

Types of wild apples

There are so many different types of wild apples out there that it would be impossible to list them all. Basically, they are the forgotten heirloom varieties of apples that are in the genus Malus which has about 30-55 different varieties of apples. Here’s some information on the older varieties of apples.

Can you make apple pie with eating apples?

You can really use wild apples and eating apples for just about anything you can use traditional apples for. Remember that they are more tart and not necessarily pretty.

So while they taste just as good, they may look different. I usually enjoy baking with wild apples when I use them in apple pie, apple crisp, apple crumb, and apple muffins.

Recipes for apples from a tree

Here are a few recipes that you can try.

• Apple rhubarb pie recipe
• Caramelized apple topping for ice cream
• Heirloom apple cake
• Apple cake recipe

Wild Apple Crumb Pie Recipe

I made a Wild Apple Crumb Pie recipe that we absolutely loved. Of course, it will work just as well if you don’t have apples from a wild apple tree.

You can use apples that you get from the farmers’ market. Or, you can use apples you get from the grocery store. Baking with wild apples is a great choice when you have them.

Can I freeze the apples?

Sure! You can definitely freeze wild apples just as well as you can freeze regular apples. Just peel and core the apples and soak them in lemon juice for 5 minutes.

Drain them and arrange them on a cookie sheet that’s lined with parchment paper. Freeze them overnight. Then, remove them from the baking sheet and put them in a freezer bag.

Be sure to write the date on the bag. You can keep them for up to a year in the freezer. I hope you’ll try baking with wild apples soon!