[Sca-cooks] Quinces

[Mark Hendershott]

At 02:38 PM 8/20/03 -0400, you wrote:

>On Wednesday, August 20, 2003, at 02:17 PM, Melanie Unruh-Bays wrote:
>
>>Imagine my surprise then when I find quinces at the supermarket last night!
>>Yes, they are still somewhat hard, but if I purchase them this weekend
>>(they're $1.99 each, so I need to wait until payday) will they ripen in the
>>space of two weeks? What if I put them in a paper bag with some bananas? Any
>>other suggestions? Having actually found them, I really hate to not be able
>>to use them.
>
>I generally recommend power tools for paring quince.  When ripe, they have 
>about the same firmness as a billiard ball.
>
>In other words, the ones you've found at the market probably are ripe.
>They will soften up just fine with cooking.  If you do substitute apples 
>or pears though, be aware that quince have a lot more pectin and make 
>firmer jelly and such, so you may have to reduce the other fruits further 
>to get the same results.
>
>Where are you that you are so lucky to have quince in the market?  I'm 
>jealous.
>
>- Doc (who's cooked with quince a couple of times and *loves* them - 
>quince paste is awfully good too!)
>
>
>--
>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>  Edouard Halidai  (Daniel Myers)

I planted a quince tree but it's not very big yet.  Mostly I get mine by 
noting the location of neglected quince trees in the neighborhood and 
asking permission to pick.  Around here (Western Oregon) they don't ripen 
until late September.

Simon Sinneghe
Briaroak, Summits, An Tir