This should probably be under recipe topic but what on earth do you do with quinces please?

[Bonecrack785]

I have a glut!

Not even sure that I like the perfumed flavour!

Does anyone have a tried and tested recipe please?

Thank you very much for each and every one of the replies; they are really appreciated!

And I’m afraid I don’t live anywhere near the locations mentioned on the thread, so apologies, can’t offload the excess!

Will just have to roll my sleeves up and get cooking!

I always thought there were two basic types of quince, only one of which was edible. Wikipedia makes no mention of that, so I guess I was wrong.

Used to have a small quince bush, not a tree, which produced a few fruits, hardly worth bothering with except to pick, and keep in a bowl for a few days for the perfume.

As I understand it, unlike pears and apples, quinces are unable to be eaten raw. They are only palatable when cooked and the flesh turns pink.

I am no expert though! I have just been reading snippets off the internet where incidentally I also discovered that they contain high levels of anti-inflammatory properties, which makes all the faddle of jelly-making seem increasingly worthwhile… .

I recently made a batch of quince jelly, but I added finely chopped chilli. In order to stop the chilli rising chop and freeze first. Defrost add the chilli and juice to the jelly just before you put on a rolling boil. Allow it to cool a bit before adding to hot jars.

Great tip thank you!

I've made quince ratafia this year. It's grated quince, sugar, almonds, lemon rind and rum. Hopefully it will be ready to drink at Christmas.Like you I have hundreds of them on my tree this year. Usually we only have 2 or 3 and they all get individual names, Quincy Jones, Quincy Adams etc!
I'll also be making quince jelly.

I've also got 100s of medlars. The only thing I can find to do with them is jelly.

Great recipe idea thanks!

I haven’t resorted to naming mine 😁😂😁

Quincy Market?

Quince and clove jelly. Absolutely superb with a wedge of stilton on a tasty cracker.

Thank you!

We got three enormous ones in the organic veg box this week.
Last time we got one I made orchard pie because I had pears and apples too.
I'd like to make a preserve but I'm not sure about membrillo. Is the jelly good as a sweet spread or only with meat?

Forgot the photo.

It's a mast year, so all fruiting trees are heavily laden.

Quince jelly, membrillo, quince crumble, quince marmalade and quince gin are my go to.

My children are currently having a spoonful of quince jelly on their porridge in the mornings.

There are 2 main types of quince, the true quince - on large trees, like bigger knobbly pears, and Japonica quince - on a bush, more apple shaped and usually smaller. Both edible once cooked.

Reading with interest. Have dozens as well, from a tree that's never produced more than a handful in 20 years.

It's traditionally eaten with cheese, so should be OK with some meats. Probably pork/gammon/bacon would be best.

Are you not meant to enjoy the perfume in the fruit bowl until you don’t notice it’s rotted?

Add them into any apple recipe - lovely in crumbles, pies etc.

I don't really want it with meat - is it ok as a sweet spread?

I use the quince jelly in the same way many people use marmalade - a tangy jam. I prefer less sweet jams and spreads over the standard 40g sugar per hundred preserves. That said, if your taste runs to sweeter you can put more sugar when you make it.

Following with interest as we also have some quinces for the first time - enough to make a substantial batch of quince jelly. Those of you who have made it - what recipe do you follow? Preserving sugar or ordinary?

Just returning to this thread to report back!

Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas!

Tbh, having tried various recipes, I think the above poster is spot on! 😆😆

I have patiently made six jars of quince jelly strained overnight through a mesh bag tied to an upside down stool!

I have made a quince spread that is a bit like mushy marmalade,

And lastly I have made quince chutney; to eat with cheese.

And all of them were perfectly fine … save for the flavour of the actual quince! 🙈😃

I had great hopes for the last one as the spices hit the taste receptors first. But no; it was soon followed by that perfume quince aftertaste that I have decided I really dislike!

Such a shame as apparently quince has many health benefits but give me a pear or an apple any time! It turns out that I really dislike quinces!

On the positive side of things; at least I now know this for next year!

My quince and apple crumble and quince, apple, and pear pie were both very tasty and benefited from the subtle quince flavour.
I shall not be going any more complicated after reading this!

What about the poaching recipe? Did you try that? That’s my favourite!

Membrillo 🧀