Shannon, It'd be difficult to guess what variety she had - probably an ornamental variety. I grew up eating and making crabapple jelly from some big old ornamental crabs(40-50 years ago) - probably 'Robinson', if I had to hazard a guess now. Heavy production of 1-1.25" red, red-fleshed crabapples - tart, and fun for a kid to eat pocketsfull of 'em, and they made a pretty red jelly, but i doubt most adults nowadays would want to eat many of them. In my family, 'Callaway', an ornamental crab, which produces heavy crops of 1.5" red, yellow-fleshed crabapples, is a favorite for eating out of hand - good flavor, nice sweet/tart balance, and it has good disease resistance for the Southeast - it's one of Dirr's top picks. Probably would make good jelly, if you didn't eat all the apples first. I've also made crabapple jelly from a mixture of 'Kerr' crab - which is an excellent eating apple in its own right - with fruits from some of the red-fleshed crabs(Geneva, Giant Russian, Winter Red Flesh)thrown in for added color and tartness. Here is a link that might be useful: Malus 'Callaway'

Murky, Sorry for the confusion about the tree size. The crabapple tree that I grew up with was small (like a dwarf apple tree; no ladder needed). The ones that my neighbors have are regular sized apple trees; not huge, but a ladder is definitely needed (maybe 15 feet). Not at all like the small one I grew up with (hence my confusion). I'm glad I could give you a chuckle!

I have persimmon seeds

My recipe calls for 2 qts. hips. The spice and food coloring are optional and I actually think I like it best without either. The jelly is a beautiful color and makes a wonderful gift. Here's the recipe if you would like to try it. Rose Hip Jelly 5 cups prepared juice (about 2 qt. fully ripe rose hips and 6 ripe medium tart apples) 1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin 1/4 tsp. ground mace (optional) 10 drops red food coloring (optional) 2 drops yellow food coloring (optional) 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional) 6 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl BRING boiling-water canner, half-full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling. REMOVE stems from rose hips. Place in saucepan; add water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until soft and mushy, about 1 hour. Place 3 layers of damp cheesecloth or jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press gently. Measure exactly 2 cups juice into 6-8 quart saucepot. REMOVE stems and blossom ends from apples. Cut apples into small pieces (do not peel or core). Place in large saucepan; add water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crush cooked apples; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Place 3 layers of damp cheesecloth or jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press gently. Measure exactly 3 cups juice; add to rose hip juice in saucepot. (If needed, add up to 1/2 cup water for exact measure.) STIR pectin, mace and food coloring into juice in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. STIR in all sugar quickly. Bring to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon. LADLE quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water if needed. Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger.