Quince - You can eventually eat them

If you’ve ever walked past a tree in Portland in early fall and thought, “What’s that bumpy hard fruit that looks kind of like an apple/pear but clearly isn’t one?”, you’ve probably stumbled across a quince (pronounced kwĭns) tree! 

What Are Quince?

Quinces, a member of the rose family (which includes apples and pears), are native to Iran and are now predominantly grown in Turkey and China. The fruit was also commonly served at weddings in Greece as a symbol of love and fertility. 

There are a few dozen cultivars of quinces, most of which grow best in warmer climates. That being said, the quinces that thrive in the U.S are limited to mostly the hard quinces that require cooking before eating. However, soft quinces do exist in other countries!

Harvest Tips and Tricks

The most common quince you’ll find in Portland is the Pineapple quince, which ripens anywhere from September to October. When ripe, quinces turn from green to yellow and will have a strong aroma. In fact, some people recommend putting your quinces in a sock inside your drawers for a few days to take advantage of the perfume scent! 

Harvest your quince trees using the classic twist and pull method. While a ripe quince will still be fairly hard, it will be soft enough to bruise easily, so be mindful when picking and try to avoid stacking your fruit on top of each other. 

How to Store and Preserve

After picking, the fruit will last the longest (up to two months) stored in the fridge. Alternatively, you could freeze your quinces after peeling and chopping them into smaller pieces. Blanching your quince pieces and/or covering them with lemon juice will help better preserve their color, texture, and flavor. Larger quantities can be preserved by canning slices in syrup. Quince jelly is also a popular use, as quinces are naturally high in pectin. 

Quinces are very bitter and hard when uncooked, but will turn sweet with tart and floral notes after cooking. Some describe the taste as a mix of apple, pear, pineapple and guava. The fruit will also turn a beautiful light pink hue while cooking, making it a great candidate for an impressive looking dessert! An easy way to use up quince is simply poaching the fruit with sweetener and spices to serve over ice cream. Poaching is also the first step to making most other recipes with quince, such as membrillo, a Spanish quince paste that would be a great addition to a charcuterie board with crackers and cheese! Lastly, you could also throw poached quinces in a cake or tart. For something savory, throw quince in a Persian stew or tagine, or braise the fruit to create a topping to go on your choice of protein. 

Do you have extra and need help?

1. Talk to your neighbors! It’s a great way to meet them and you can share your abundance hyper locally!

2. Donate it through Portland Fruit Tree Project’s Fruit Fridge! Harvest and drop off at your convenience and we’ll get it all used up!

3. Can’t harvest it? Register for us to come harvest for you!

Take the next step with Portland Fruit Tree Project!

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