Japanese Quince
A friend gave me some very nice looking Japanese quinces. Are they edible? I want to make them into jelly (with apples), but as I often give my jelly away, I don’t want to poison my friends.
Thai Goulton
October 24, 2009 by fruitforum
Japanese Quince
A friend gave me some very nice looking Japanese quinces. Are they edible? I want to make them into jelly (with apples), but as I often give my jelly away, I don’t want to poison my friends.
Thai Goulton
These are really pseudo quinces, genus Chaenomeles, produced on thorny shrubs; the fruits are rock hard, but some people do succeed in making a clear jelly, although one must ask whether it is worth the effort.
The true quince is Cydonia oblonga, a tree fruit but also rock hard. Usually pear-shaped, and has surface soft fuzz; kept uncovered in a room it emits agreeable gentle aroma.
Produces a ‘gritty’ textured paste rather than jelly, available in small tubs at Waitrose cheese counters.
Thank you very much, Jeff, for your comment, very interesting.
I have in the past successfully made jelly from the true quinces together with apples. But the tree did not have any fruit this year hence the plan with the Japanese quinces, but in light of your comment perhaps I’ll give it a miss.
Yes, they have a lot of pectin in and make a good jelly, but not one with a lot of flavour. Have added them to quince jelly in the past.
To add flavour to a Chaenomeles jelly, why not try adding some guavas (usually available in most Asian grocers, in season) which have a lovely fragrant flavour, similar to true quince.
Yes, you can make great ‘lemonade’ out of them. Cut them into gravel size pieces, then leave in a large cup of water. After you drink the water, do it again. Then cut them into half as big of pieces, and soak for 15 minutes. More lemonade. I like it. See what you think. You get all the flavour. After about the third time, the flesh is bland and fibrous, I compost it.
John S