Quince tree producing this year - yumminess ahead

[Rhea]

Speaking of orchard fruits, our quince tree has several dozen fruits on it. I'm looking forward to a quince pie, some quince paste to serve with cheese and on deli meats, and some quince-infused cognac this year.

Well, the cognac will be next year. It needs a little time, but once infused is _fantastic_ like a dessert cordial. No added sugar, just diced quince with cognac poured over and let sit for 6+ months. Throw out the fruit and drink the nectar.

 

[fast]

I had to google that. Damn it. Making me work. I just wanted one day where I can remain ignorant to new things, and then you came along. Thanks a lot.

 

[Rhea]

Just another service I offer.

 

[fast]

Just another service I offer.

I'll keep my eye out for it. I've never been one to try new foods, but the women in my life have a way of making me, so what the heck, if I happen across it, I'll give it a shot.

 

[spikepipsqueak]

Speaking of orchard fruits, our quince tree has several dozen fruits on it. I'm looking forward to a quince pie, some quince paste to serve with cheese and on deli meats, and some quince-infused cognac this year.

Well, the cognac will be next year. It needs a little time, but once infused is _fantastic_ like a dessert cordial. No added sugar, just diced quince with cognac poured over and let sit for 6+ months. Throw out the fruit and drink the nectar.

Sod that for a joke. Eat the fruit and drink the nectar.


You need to resurrect and borrow my Nanna.

Best.Quince jelly.Ever.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I can't recall ever encountering a quince.

 

[thebeave]

I can't recall ever encountering a quince.

Me either. I think maybe she bought the tree just so people would ask her what a quince tree is. Then she'll get mad when it becomes a fad and everyone else gets a quince tree and she'll exclaim, "I was growing quinces long before anyone else knew what a quince was!"

 

[Artemus]

I just asked my wife if she had heard of quince and she said they had one in their back yard growing up. After 30 years of marriage it seems there are still things to learn about each other.

 

[Cycad]

Last year I had lots of quince.
This year none at all. My trees seem to yield bi-annually
The flowers of the trees are btw magnificent. In France quince is mainly used for jam and the north african Tajine

(I have lots of Medlar this year though)

 

[Rhea]

Speaking of orchard fruits, our quince tree has several dozen fruits on it. I'm looking forward to a quince pie, some quince paste to serve with cheese and on deli meats, and some quince-infused cognac this year.

Well, the cognac will be next year. It needs a little time, but once infused is _fantastic_ like a dessert cordial. No added sugar, just diced quince with cognac poured over and let sit for 6+ months. Throw out the fruit and drink the nectar.

Sod that for a joke. Eat the fruit and drink the nectar.

I tried (I thought it ought to make a delicious coffee cake, you know?), but after almost a year in the cognac, it seems the fruit had donated ALL of its flavor and goodness to the liquid. ALL. What was left was like a bitter paper bag. Completely inedible. But it was a valiant sacrifice because the resultant cordial is so fragrant and delicious. All of the tang of the cognac is completely tamed and transformed into the pear-pineapple-apple with a slight floral scent as you hold it.

You need to resurrect and borrow my Nanna.

Best.Quince jelly.Ever.

Mmmm. I made jelly last time. Quince has an extraordinary amount of natural pectin, so you don't need to add any at all, just boil it. In that case, the fruit is useful because it is cooked, and that made a nice dessert. And the leftover liquid boiled down to jam is delicious. I boiled some a little too far and made a sort of gummy-bear out of it. I took tiny bits of this and cooked into the center of sugar cookies. Again... delicious!

 

[Rhea]

I can't recall ever encountering a quince.

"The quince is the sole member of the genus Cydonia in the family Rosaceae. It is a small deciduous tree that bears a pome fruit, similar in appearance to a pear, and bright golden-yellow when mature"

 

[Rhea]

I can't recall ever encountering a quince.

Me either. I think maybe she bought the tree just so people would ask her what a quince tree is. Then she'll get mad when it becomes a fad and everyone else gets a quince tree and she'll exclaim, "I was growing quinces long before anyone else knew what a quince was!"

LOL

No, I didn't plant this, it came with the house, which we've owned for over 25 years. It nearly died once, and we cut it down to a stump, but it was not to be denied and grew a shoot back up and is now a 6' high shrub.

Our house came with about 18 fruit trees. The plum and cherry trees have died, alas. Need to plant more of those. But the apples, pears and quince are still going. The apple trees are probably 70-100 years old. It's so nice to have them.

 

[Angry Floof]

Nice! What do quinces taste like? Is the flesh soft like a pear or crisp like an apple?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Last year I had lots of quince.
This year none at all. My trees seem to yield bi-annually
The flowers of the trees are btw magnificent. In France quince is mainly used for jam and the north african Tajine

(I have lots of Medlar this year though)

We have noticed a trend along those lines with our fruit trees--heavy/light/heavy/light crops.

- - - Updated - - -

I can't recall ever encountering a quince.

"The quince is the sole member of the genus Cydonia in the family Rosaceae. It is a small deciduous tree that bears a pome fruit, similar in appearance to a pear, and bright golden-yellow when mature"

View attachment 8199

Being married to a voracious fruit eater I looked it up after reading this thread. It's not her thing at all--she wants fruit you can eat, not fruit you make into something.

 

[Rhea]

Nice! What do quinces taste like? Is the flesh soft like a pear or crisp like an apple?

It can only be eaten after being cooked. Well, some people claim when they lived back in Turkey they used to eat them raw and loved the tart pucker, despite the incredibly hard flesh. raw, they are hard-like-a-turnip.

I prefer to go with the cooking and have the apple texture with apple/pear/pineapple flavor. We had one recipe where you cooked them in grape juice that made a delicious tart with cool colors. Cooking in regular water or sugar water will give you a rosey-pink fruit.

- - - Updated - - -

Being married to a voracious fruit eater I looked it up after reading this thread. It's not her thing at all--she wants fruit you can eat, not fruit you make into something.

Yeah, it's definitely not a rawfruit kind of snack. Although she might try one, sliced thin it could be eaten. Very tart when raw.

 

[Angry Floof]

It can only be eaten after being cooked. Well, some people claim when they lived back in Turkey they used to eat them raw and loved the tart pucker, despite the incredibly hard flesh. raw, they are hard-like-a-turnip.

I prefer to go with the cooking and have the apple texture with apple/pear/pineapple flavor. We had one recipe where you cooked them in grape juice that made a delicious tart with cool colors. Cooking in regular water or sugar water will give you a rosey-pink fruit.

Now I want a quince tree. I'm already looking at recipes. Look at this recipe for membrillo: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/membrillo_quince_paste/ NOM!

 

[spikepipsqueak]

Sod that for a joke. Eat the fruit and drink the nectar.

I tried (I thought it ought to make a delicious coffee cake, you know?), but after almost a year in the cognac, it seems the fruit had donated ALL of its flavor and goodness to the liquid. ALL. What was left was like a bitter paper bag. Completely inedible. But it was a valiant sacrifice because the resultant cordial is so fragrant and delicious. All of the tang of the cognac is completely tamed and transformed into the pear-pineapple-apple with a slight floral scent as you hold it.

Drool.

All my experience with quinces is from making the jelly (which skill, BTW, is NOT hereditary).

No tree, but they sometimes turn up in the shops. I'm going to try that.

Mmmm. I made jelly last time. Quince has an extraordinary amount of natural pectin, so you don't need to add any at all, just boil it. In that case, the fruit is useful because it is cooked, and that made a nice dessert. And the leftover liquid boiled down to jam is delicious. I boiled some a little too far and made a sort of gummy-bear out of it. I took tiny bits of this and cooked into the center of sugar cookies. Again... delicious!

Inventive .

 

[spikepipsqueak]

It can only be eaten after being cooked. Well, some people claim when they lived back in Turkey they used to eat them raw and loved the tart pucker, despite the incredibly hard flesh. raw, they are hard-like-a-turnip.

I prefer to go with the cooking and have the apple texture with apple/pear/pineapple flavor. We had one recipe where you cooked them in grape juice that made a delicious tart with cool colors. Cooking in regular water or sugar water will give you a rosey-pink fruit.

Now I want a quince tree. I'm already looking at recipes. Look at this recipe for membrillo: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/membrillo_quince_paste/ NOM!

They're a lot of hard work. Just a pain to cut up. But I suspect you have the patience.

ETA I just had a look at that. Our quinces are a very different variety.

 

[Rhea]

Now I want a quince tree. I'm already looking at recipes. Look at this recipe for membrillo: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/membrillo_quince_paste/ NOM!

They're a lot of hard work. Just a pain to cut up. But I suspect you have the patience.

ETA I just had a look at that. Our quinces are a very different variety.

What are yours like? These are indeed very difficult to cut up.

 

[bleubird]

We had a quince in our back yard.Mother put bits in other fruit when she canned.If I recall.