Quince

Posted by Debbie Kwiatoski Dec 14, 2007

I’ve always wondered about the quince tree in my backyard. Wondered who among the generations of "keepers of our home before us" might have planted it – and wondered how they used the hard, crisp fruit that matured on its branches each season. I wonder, because going back through the deed holders of our property, I see an Armenian name, whose stewardship of what is now our house and acreage dates to the 1940s – about right for the maturity of our quince tree. Nearby, the remains of an outside fire pit and grate are also found, the assumption being that the arrangement hosted many seasons of outdoor cooking pots employed for the making of jams and other preserves. A few old canning jars seem to bear this supposition out.

Old apple and pears trees grow nearby, as well, as do the tangled remnants of berry bushes. All still yield fruit, though none are in their prime at this point. I should probably cut them down and plant new staplings in the spring, but I probably won’t. The old still have a few more years – and few more stories to tell. Except for the usual jam and jelly, I rarely see recipes for quince outside of Middle Eastern cooking.

The fruit will ripen nearly anywhere in the world, although the hotter the country, the softer and sweeter the flesh seems to be; the less thick and woolly its skin. Although it can – and often is – eaten raw in the Middle East and throughout the Mediterranean, cooking it brings out the flavor of our Upstate New York quince. Check out some of the recipes I’ve posted for it: Pastegh