I've never seen it in the store, and only once at the market. (And I *ahem* bought all that they had. The trees aren't very common around here, but there are a few. I spotted one while driving the other day, and asked if I could pick a bag of them, and the owner was more than generous. When raw, they're incredibly astringent when you taste them; inedible, really. And they're hard as rocks. But they have this amazing, fruity and floral scent that takes over the kitchen. They need to be cooked for whatever purpose you're using them, and when you cook them long enough, they turn a deep red. (Which I think is pure magic.) I made the jelly this morning, and it's perfect! It's a tangy, fruity, floral kind of taste - that's an inadequate description, but it's the best I can do. :)
I am stunned!! I had never seen quince before....and then I saw your picture and out of curiosity, googled it. We have a flowering quince tree in our yard! Earlier in the fall, Andrew and I were trying to figure out what to do with these rock hard crab apples that we thought we had!! They went bad in the process! Thanks for the info!
Wish I could find a quince tree here in Texas. We get them at a few grocery stores in the fall and winter, but they're very expensive. I make jelly from them as well. Sometimes I make Paradise Jelly with them. Love it!
Thanks so much for your comments - I read and appreciate each one! Sorry about the word verification - the spammers found me and it became necessary. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
soooo...what exactly does quince taste like? i've never even seen it in the store :(
ReplyDeleteI've never seen it in the store, and only once at the market. (And I *ahem* bought all that they had. The trees aren't very common around here, but there are a few. I spotted one while driving the other day, and asked if I could pick a bag of them, and the owner was more than generous. When raw, they're incredibly astringent when you taste them; inedible, really. And they're hard as rocks. But they have this amazing, fruity and floral scent that takes over the kitchen. They need to be cooked for whatever purpose you're using them, and when you cook them long enough, they turn a deep red. (Which I think is pure magic.) I made the jelly this morning, and it's perfect! It's a tangy, fruity, floral kind of taste - that's an inadequate description, but it's the best I can do. :)
DeleteI am stunned!! I had never seen quince before....and then I saw your picture and out of curiosity, googled it. We have a flowering quince tree in our yard! Earlier in the fall, Andrew and I were trying to figure out what to do with these rock hard crab apples that we thought we had!! They went bad in the process! Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteWish I could find a quince tree here in Texas. We get them at a few grocery stores in the fall and winter, but they're very expensive. I make jelly from them as well. Sometimes I make Paradise Jelly with them. Love it!
ReplyDelete