Japanese quince
I planted a japanese quince plant this spring, and lo and behold, there are now japanese quinces growing on it! (I bought it because it was a flowering shrub - I had no idea I'd have fruit in the first year, if at all). All recipes I can find only refer to regular quinces - does anyone know if japanese quinces are interchangeable with regular ones in recipes, and how can I tell when the quinces are ripe? Help!
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They're not interhangeable, but the Japanese ones make superb preserves. Your question takes me way, way back to my starving student days when the student house I rented a room in had miniature ones as a border around the yard. My landlord never sprayed so I picked them (they only grow about 1-1/2" in diam.) quartered and cored them and cooked them up w/ a lot of sugar b/c they're very sour.. It's important to leave the skin on b/c it has a wonderful, spicy aroma. They are full of natural pectin, so there's no need for any additional. It was the first time I learned to sterilize mason jars (which I borrowed from a friend). It was a lot of work, but so worth it.
I guess you could add some nuts and maybe ginger, use a little less sugar than you would for ordinary preserves and use it as a chutney, but the natural flavor of the skin--sort of clovey and allspicey--shouldn't be drowned out, IMHO.
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