Is it ok to eat crabapples?

Question:

Is it ok to eat crabapples?

Answer:

Yes. The crabapple (Malus spp.) is an example of a common ornamental that also produces edible fruit. Apples and crabapples are differentiated strictly on the size of their fruit. Crabapples are varieties with fruit 2 inches or less in diameter. Those with larger fruit are apples. 

At maturity, crabapple fruits vary from yellow to orange to bright red. The fruit of some crabapple varieties color and ripen in August, and others mature in the fall. (The colorful, persistent fruit of many of the newer crabapple varieties are actually an important ornamental characteristic.) 

While all crabapple fruit can be used in making jellies and preserves, large-fruited varieties, such as Whitney and Chestnut, are the best.

Learn more in this article: Edible Fruit on Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.