This year we were blessed with an abundance of Quince. Quince is an old-fashioned fruit, a relative of the pear, but with hard, astringent flesh that must be cooked to be edible. It is naturally very high in pectin, and in days gone by, every garden held a quince tree, and the farmer's wife used it to help set her jams and jellies, as well as for preserving of all kinds.
This year, I used the quince to make quince jelly (last year I made jam), bottled slices in syrup for later baking, and also dehydrated the pulp, intending to make a fruit leather, but it turned out more like chips. When I ran out of time, but still needed to get the final box of quince processed (after I'd given away umpteen boxes!) I boiled up the last of the quince and bottled or froze the resulting liquid to be later made into jelly.
Recipes and instructions are below...
This year, I used the quince to make quince jelly (last year I made jam), bottled slices in syrup for later baking, and also dehydrated the pulp, intending to make a fruit leather, but it turned out more like chips. When I ran out of time, but still needed to get the final box of quince processed (after I'd given away umpteen boxes!) I boiled up the last of the quince and bottled or froze the resulting liquid to be later made into jelly.
Recipes and instructions are below...
Quince Jelly
Quince jelly is quite simple to make, and the steps can be done in stages if desired, so the process does not have to be completed all at once. Quince is pretty much never-fail for jams or jelly, as it's high pectin content means it sets easily. Quantities don't matter until you get to the step of adding the sugar. Use what fruit you have, and that part will work itself out.
Step One
Wash the quince to remove the fuzzy coating. Chop whole fruit into relatively even size chunks. There is no need to peel or core, though if you are planning to keep the pulp for dehydrating, you may wish to do so.
Place in a pot and cover with water.
Wash the quince to remove the fuzzy coating. Chop whole fruit into relatively even size chunks. There is no need to peel or core, though if you are planning to keep the pulp for dehydrating, you may wish to do so.
Place in a pot and cover with water.
Step Two
Cover pot, bring to boil, then simmer until fruit is tender, approx 1 hour, by which time it will have changed to a rosy colour - quince changes colour when cooked for prolonged periods.
Set aside to cool.
Step Three
Using a potato masher, mash the quince up in the pot of water as much as you can.
Cover pot, bring to boil, then simmer until fruit is tender, approx 1 hour, by which time it will have changed to a rosy colour - quince changes colour when cooked for prolonged periods.
Set aside to cool.
Step Three
Using a potato masher, mash the quince up in the pot of water as much as you can.
Step Four
As with all jellies, the part you are after is the liquid from cooking the fruit. Usually you strain the contents of the pot through a cheesecloth, keeping the liquid. In practice, with quince I found it was easier to "roughly strain" the mixture through a metal colander first, removing most of the fruit pulp, and then strain the resulting liquid through a cheesecloth to remove any remaining pulp. IMPORTANT: do NOT squeeze the cheesecloth if you want the jelly to have a nice, clear look to it without cloudiness.
The photo above shows the pulp left in the colander, which I dehydrated (see separate instructions below).
As with all jellies, the part you are after is the liquid from cooking the fruit. Usually you strain the contents of the pot through a cheesecloth, keeping the liquid. In practice, with quince I found it was easier to "roughly strain" the mixture through a metal colander first, removing most of the fruit pulp, and then strain the resulting liquid through a cheesecloth to remove any remaining pulp. IMPORTANT: do NOT squeeze the cheesecloth if you want the jelly to have a nice, clear look to it without cloudiness.
The photo above shows the pulp left in the colander, which I dehydrated (see separate instructions below).
Optional: If for any reason you are unable, or do not want to, proceed to making the jelly at this point, then the liquid may be refrigerated overnight, or poured into bottles and frozen for later use. It may also be preserved by bringing it to the boil, then pouring into hot, sterile jars and sealing. If you choose to freeze it, leave the top part of the plastic bottle empty, then squeeze out some of the air before screwing on the lid. This will allow for the expansion of the liquid as it freezes.
Step Five - making the jelly
1. Measure the volume of the liquid you are working with, and pour it into a large, heavy pot. For every litre (4 cups) of liquid, add 4-5 cups of sugar. Using less sugar will not change the sweetness of the final result - the jelly will set when it reaches a certain temperature, at which point its sugar content will be 65% or so - adding less sugar simply means you will have to boil it longer.
2. Bring the pot to the boil, then boil it uncovered until setting point is reached, stirring frequently to avoid burning. How long this takes will vary depending on conditions. Some recipes claim as little as 10 mins, but I've always found it takes about an hour (though I work in large quantities, which may have something to do with it).
Setting point is reached when a dribble of jelly dropped onto a cold plate goes wrinkly when touched and stays in one place.
3. While the jelly is boiling, prepare your jars - wash them, rinse out, place in a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 100C and sterilise for 30 mins. Keep the jars hot until you are ready to fill with jelly. Also boil lids or seals and rings in a pot of water for a few minutes before using.
4. When the jelly is ready, fill the jars. I stand the jars on newspaper on top of a wooden chopping board, one at a time straight from the oven, as close to the pot as possible and ladle in the jelly, leaving an inch headspace before sealing with a lid or seal. A bottling funnel is a great help to getting it all in the jar rather than down the sides. I made my own by cutting out around the stem of a spare large funnel - it sits in the top of the jar and directs my preserves in the right direction. Set the jars aside to cool.
1. Measure the volume of the liquid you are working with, and pour it into a large, heavy pot. For every litre (4 cups) of liquid, add 4-5 cups of sugar. Using less sugar will not change the sweetness of the final result - the jelly will set when it reaches a certain temperature, at which point its sugar content will be 65% or so - adding less sugar simply means you will have to boil it longer.
2. Bring the pot to the boil, then boil it uncovered until setting point is reached, stirring frequently to avoid burning. How long this takes will vary depending on conditions. Some recipes claim as little as 10 mins, but I've always found it takes about an hour (though I work in large quantities, which may have something to do with it).
Setting point is reached when a dribble of jelly dropped onto a cold plate goes wrinkly when touched and stays in one place.
3. While the jelly is boiling, prepare your jars - wash them, rinse out, place in a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 100C and sterilise for 30 mins. Keep the jars hot until you are ready to fill with jelly. Also boil lids or seals and rings in a pot of water for a few minutes before using.
4. When the jelly is ready, fill the jars. I stand the jars on newspaper on top of a wooden chopping board, one at a time straight from the oven, as close to the pot as possible and ladle in the jelly, leaving an inch headspace before sealing with a lid or seal. A bottling funnel is a great help to getting it all in the jar rather than down the sides. I made my own by cutting out around the stem of a spare large funnel - it sits in the top of the jar and directs my preserves in the right direction. Set the jars aside to cool.
Bottled Quince
I bottle quince using the same overflow method I use for most fruit. It is described in detail HERE.
For quince, the fruit is washed, peeled, cored and sliced, then kept in a large bowl of water until I'm ready to process it. Don't worry if it browns a little - it turns white again when you cook it.
I heat a pot with a small amount of plain water in it, to which I then add a drained colander full of fruit at a time to cook before spooning into jars with a slotted spoon.
A separate pot contains the boiling syrup solution, which is ladled into the jars over the fruit. Quince needs a reasonably strong syrup - I use approximately 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water.
Bottled quince can be used as a preserved fruit on cereal or in baking. Our favourite use is to combine it with apples and make a fruit crumble.
For quince, the fruit is washed, peeled, cored and sliced, then kept in a large bowl of water until I'm ready to process it. Don't worry if it browns a little - it turns white again when you cook it.
I heat a pot with a small amount of plain water in it, to which I then add a drained colander full of fruit at a time to cook before spooning into jars with a slotted spoon.
A separate pot contains the boiling syrup solution, which is ladled into the jars over the fruit. Quince needs a reasonably strong syrup - I use approximately 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water.
Bottled quince can be used as a preserved fruit on cereal or in baking. Our favourite use is to combine it with apples and make a fruit crumble.
Dehydrated Quince Pulp/Leather/Chips
I loathe waste! When making jelly, it seems a shame to throw out all the pulp (though the chickens appreciate it!). It occurred to me perhaps I could dehydrate it to make a fruit leather for snacks.
After straining the fruit pulp out of the liquid, from a batch which I had peeled and cored especially, I processed the pulp in a food processor to make it smooth. Lacking Tefal sheets for my dehydrator, I covered the racks with cling wrap, then smoothed the pulp out on them.
After dehydrating overnight, the "leather" was dry enough to remove from the cling wrap and finish drying on the mesh trays.
After dehydrating overnight, the "leather" was dry enough to remove from the cling wrap and finish drying on the mesh trays.
The resulting product was crisp rather than leathery, so I broke it into "chips" and sealed in bags. The kids eat it as a snack.
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