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Quince, a very popular fruit in past generations, has fallen almost into obscurity and is now one of the most under-rated fruits. It is related to apples and pears and has a pear-shaped golden yellow “pome” fruit. Quince fruit is used mainly in desserts and as fruit butters, jellies, relishes and chutneys.
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The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat. They dined on mince and slices of quince… Edward Lear, 1871. I learned those lines long before I ever knew what a quince is and today I still love the poem... and now the quince.
 Many home gardens today contain flowering “quince” which is not really a quince (Chaenomeles japonica) and grown for the bright peachy or coral colored spring blossoms, while ignoring the magnificent fruiting quince, Cydonia oblonga. Quince is the sole member of the genus Cydonia, native to southwest Asia and the Caucasus regions and grows here in USDA zones 5a-8b. It grows 15 to 20 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet wide, doing best in light shade to full sun. They should be planted in a sheltered location as they respond poorly to rapid changes in temperatures.
Quince flowers are pale pink to white and bloom in mid spring to early summer. For the most part, quinces are self-fruitful. So, all you need is one plant in order to harvest fruits. A few varieties may require cross-pollination. For that reason, check the catalog description before choosing a variety. The immature fruit is rather furry but most of that ‘felty’ feel rubs off as the fruit matures in late autumn. As it matures, the fruit changes from green to yellow with a hard perfumery flesh and is seldom subject to bird damage although fire blight can be a problem. Unlike flowering quince, fruiting quince has thornless and gnarled branches offering winter interest.
The seeds from quince are sometimes viable if allowed to ripen and dry before sowing outside in fall or germinated in damp paper towels in spring. Quince may also be propagated by softwood cuttings and by air layering.
Culinary Uses
Quince paste, known in the 17th century as quiddany or cotoniack, is sometimes found in the jelly section of the supermarket but all quince recipes are easily made at home. Quince paste was my first taste of this fruit, and it’s like a block of firm jello, delicious served with a mild cheese or even a blue cheese. Quince must be cooked and the longer they cook, the deeper the reddish color becomes. Poach them in syrup with cardamon and cinnamon, or orange and lemon peel, or a fruit flavored brandy. Make a compote by adding stewed dried prunes and apricots. Also makes good jellies, relish, butters and chutneys. See a cake recipe below.
Other Uses
Quince leaves were once used in the tanning process as they contain high levels of tannin. Mucilage obtained from the seed coat is used as a gum Arabic substitute in cosmetics and eye lotions. Herbal medicines from quince were used for sore throats, and inflammations of the stomach and bowels.
Cultivars
Traditionally, only a handful of quince cultivars have been grown in the United States, but their ranks are swelling thanks to ARS researchers at the National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Corvallis, Oregon. Over the past decade, NCGR scientists have expanded a modest quince collection into one of the world's finest. [1]
Champion - Productive bearer of large fruit with tender flesh and a delicate flavor. Aromatnaya - (Experimental here) From S. Russia. Fruit is said to be edible fresh. Good disease resistance so far. Pineapple - Bred in CA and named for its pineapple -like flavor. Portugal- (Experimental here) Ripens early. Fruit turns red when cooked. Prefers a pollinator. Smyrna - A large fruited variety with good flavor. [2]
'Angers', 'Orange', 'Pineapple', 'Champion', and 'Smyrna' are generally available in the US. See some vendors below.
Many Thanks to Philomel for her lovely quince photos from PlantFiles and to GardenGuyKin for his.
Footnotes:
[1] http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3741/is_1_55/ai_n17134319
SomeSeedling Sources
http://www.hiddenspringsnursery.com/plants.html#Quince
http://www.tytyga.com/category/Quince+Trees
http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/ansample.html
L E Cooke Co, 26333 Road 140, Visalia, CA 93292. (Wholesale only).
Northwoods Retail Nursery, 27635 S.Oglesby Rd, Canby, OR 97013, USA. Tel: 503-266-5432
Quince and Almond Cake
(from Anneka Manning's Good Food)
100g (3.5 ozs.) softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup castor (fine) sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup almond meal
1 cup poached quinces, plus more slices for the top of the cake
A few tablespoons of liquid from the poached quinces, or apricot jam, for glazing
- Heat oven to 170°C (~340ºF). Line a springform baking tin - Anneka suggests 20cm (7-3/4”), but I like to use an 18cm (7”) tin, just because I like the look of smaller, high cakes.
- Cream butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
- Sift together the flour and baking powder, and stir in the almond meal. Use a large metal spoon to fold dry ingredients into butter mixture.
- Slice the cup of quinces into thin slices and then fold into cake mixture.
- Pour batter into prepared tin and smooth the surface a little. Slice remaining quinces to an equal thickness and arrange (patterned or as you please) on the top of the batter.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until it can be cleanly skewered. Let cool for a few minutes before removing the outside of the tin.
- Warm the quince liquid or jam in a small saucepan and brush lovingly over the top of the cake to glaze. The liquid will mostly soak in but will still give a wonderful warm glow to the cake.
This cake is made to be eaten warm, with cream, for afternoon tea, or for after dinner, or actually for anytime at all. It rarely lasts longer than a day in our house as it is one of the few cakes that we all love. In fact, I shall be making another one soon, the last one was so good!
 | I have a 'growing my own food' obsession that grew out of my overlapping interests in cooking, nutrition and gardening. I am also a teacher (but outside the System), a writer, and a builder… and a craftsperson and... and… and many other things, LOL. In fact, I guess I am a generalist.
I live in the southern Appalachian Mountains on a hillside with a creek in front and drive a 15 year old truck I lovingly call “My Farmer’s Ferrari.”
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Subject: Size of Quince trees
Posted by goldhillal (from Waverly, AL) on March 31, 2008 at 3:42 PM:The quince tree that I know intimately grows in my uncle's yard, and has produced fruit all my life. I guess the age of the tree to be at least 75 years. It is growing in zone 7b in Alabama. The tree is a huge tree,probably 70 feet tall or more with a full head. Your description makes it sound like a measley tree but this one is huge, rivaling an oak. ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 4:30 PM: Long before most quince trees in this country could grow as large as yours, quince fell out of favor and many were replaced with something else. Too bad, they are nice to have.
In my opinion, no tree is 'measley'. ...
Subject: Kiwi quince
Posted by mac41 (from Wellsford
(New Zealand)) on March 31, 2008 at 3:35 PM:When we retired to a block of land north of Auckland I decided to grow quince, and so far have 35 young trees of all the cultivars I could source in NZ. I've had a few adventures sorting out their care- I was disappointed to find that here they fall prey to pear fleck, which makes the fruit unusable in the worst cases and so have reluctantly taken to spraying with copper oxychloride. This year's small crop has been better than last, and I've made quince paste which has met with approval by family and friends. I did find the link below very helpful, and think others will too.
[HYPERLINK@www.dpi.nsw.gov.au] ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 4:32 PM: Nice link, Thanks. Good luck on your crop! ...
Subject: Inspired
Posted by imapigeon (from Gilroy, CA) on March 31, 2008 at 11:26 AM:I've had an "orange" quince tree for years, and haven't found much interesting to do with the fruit. Your article inspired me to find a recipe for quince paste (membrillo) which I am now anxious to try! I pruned the heck out of my tree last year, and it's currently blooming beautifully, so it looks like I'll have something to work with this fall. Thanks!
... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 1:32 PM: You are welcome! Let me know how it turns out? ...
Subject: Mystery solved
Posted by Sundownr (from Wytheville, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 10:46 AM:I wanted a quince for many, many years for the high vitamin C fruit for making preserves and jellies. The flower power was secondary to my needs. I finally found one at a small garden shop 10 years ago. It was a sturdy, thorny little fellow. The shop owner said the fruits were edible, the flowers very glorious, and I could plant it anywhere!
I planted it in a semi-shady area near our patio and had to prune the dickens out of it because of it's mostly lateral growth (spills onto the patio with those thorny branches). It is happier than I am with it's location. It flowers little and very early, hardly ever produces rather small fruits, and did I mention the THORNS!
Darius, according to your article, I have a Chaenomeles japonica, a flowering bush quince, an ornamental shrub... not exactly what I wanted, but it is a healthy guy. I suspect now that it would bloom more if it had more sun. Now maybe I can be more tolerant of it and not expect so much from it. I'm off to find a Cydonia oblonga vendor.
Thanks again for your helpful information!
Sundownr ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 1:35 PM: You are welcome! I'm also looking for a fruiting quince... so far only finding the variety 'Pineapple'. Must keep looking!
My flowering quince isn't large enough yet for the seldom-if-ever produced fruit. ... Posted by Sundownr (from Wytheville, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 2:01 PM: I'll let you know if I find a vendor for the fruiting variety of quince. If my scratchy patio friend is not going to produce anything more than thorns, it's getting a haircut as soon as the proper time comes to prune. ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 4:27 PM: Raintree and Rolling River both have them and both have good ratings in our Garden Watchdog
[HYPERLINK@www.raintreenursery.com]
[HYPERLINK@www.rollingrivernursery.com] ... Posted by Sundownr (from Wytheville, VA) on April 1, 2008 at 3:47 PM: darius,
I found a few quince varieties at Hidden Springs Nursery, in Cookesville, TN (I like that they are close to our area), also good DG ratings, inexpensive plants and shipping as compared to the other nurseries:
[HYPERLINK@www.hiddenspringsnursery.com]
Sundownr ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on April 1, 2008 at 4:03 PM: Thanks. I'll check into availability... I, too, prefer more locally grown stuff. ...
Subject: quince article
Posted by rubyw (from Crozet, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 10:21 AM:Very informative and very well written. I have enjoyed all of the articles that you have written.
Ruby ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 12:05 PM: Thanks! ...
Subject: NCGR You should see it!
Posted by ByndeweedBeth (from scio, oregon, OR) on March 26, 2008 at 6:56 PM:If you get a chance to visit Oregon, be sure to tour the National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Corvallis, Oregon...AND the Lewis Brown Farm that is across the road. ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 26, 2008 at 7:01 PM: Doubt I'll ever get to the west coast again... but why should I visit those places? ... Posted by ByndeweedBeth (from scio, oregon, OR) on March 26, 2008 at 7:02 PM: For anyone interested in quince or other heirloom fruiting varieties, it is a real treat. ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 26, 2008 at 7:08 PM: I suspected that was the reason! Thanks. :) ...
Subject: Excellent article Darius.
Posted by balvenie (from Marysville, WA) on March 26, 2008 at 10:46 AM:You did it again kiddo. You are just so full of cool information you take my breath away. A house down the street has a five or six foot Quince in the front yard. This past season most of the fruit just sat on the ground. That might be an interesting tree to add to our front landscape. Thanks for the idea. ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 26, 2008 at 11:33 AM: You are Welcome, Robert! Try asking for some of your neighbor's quince this year... If I can get some, I'd like to make quince paste. It's great on a cracker with a mild soft goat cheese. ... Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on March 26, 2008 at 2:49 PM: Yes. Darius, you did it again. Glad you are doing it in the writers group!
I love quince trees. Im looking for more now that I know they will grow in my Alabama orchard.
thanks,
gloria ... Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on March 26, 2008 at 3:18 PM: Darius,
Very nice article, thank you.
Wish I had room for quince here.
Maybe I'll make room....
Sharon ... Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on March 26, 2008 at 5:16 PM: very nice darius :) ...
Subject: Informative
Posted by CajuninKy (from Inez, KY) on March 26, 2008 at 10:09 AM:Very good stuff. I have always heard of Quince but had no idea of what it looked like. Much like a pear. Thank you for a great article. ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on March 26, 2008 at 11:31 AM: Thanks! I love quince paste (much like guava paste in south Florida) and MUST try to grow quince here! ... Posted by CajuninKy (from Inez, KY) on March 26, 2008 at 4:35 PM: I'm sure you won't have any trouble. You seem to have a knack for such things. Might be something to add to the work day wish list. ...
Subject: Very interesting
Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on March 26, 2008 at 5:44 AM:Thanks for sharing the information, Darius. Good stuff! ... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on March 26, 2008 at 6:59 AM: Nice to read about this underrated fruit. ... Posted by roseone33 (from Southern Mountains, GA) on March 26, 2008 at 9:20 AM: Very nice darius, it brought back memories of a large quince tree in a remote area of the yard in my childhood home. It bore fruit every year but it was left to rot. I tried taking a bite every now and then but the fruit was hard and astringent. What a shame we wasted all of it, not knowing any better. Very nicely written, so glad to see how well you're doing. ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on March 26, 2008 at 9:59 AM: Oh, I LOVE that Lear poem and afternoon tea, so I fear a quince tree will have to go on the long list of things I HAVE TO HAVE when I win the lottery or inherit a bazillion dollars or something along those lines, heh heh! We used to have a flowering quince when I was growing up so I already know how lovely those are - too bad that's not the real thing. Oh, btw, you know mince is what we call hamburger?
Thank you for a lovely and yummy article, Darius. xx, Carrie ... Posted by waynen (from goulburn
(Australia)) on March 31, 2008 at 4:06 PM: A note for Carrielamont.. The mince referred to in the poem is more likely to be a traditional Christmas mince (pie) consisting of spiced dried fruit and (I am fairly sure) suet. As for Quinces.. they seem to have fallen out of favour here in OZ too though there are a few growing on the roadside near my home that are just beginning to yellow. I believe the soft fur on the skin to be yeast as I have seen it so described in cider recipes but may be wrong about that. Darius.. Great article. ...
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