This under appreciated fruit is very versatile. Traditionally used for quince jelly, we find these excellent in root roasts, Asian stir-fries, as savory dried treats and more. Quince has an exquisite aroma. Just put one on your table and the room will come alive with its fragrance. High in pectin, they are very useful for thickening jams and jellies. Quince trees are exceptionally hardy, immune to most foliar disease and highly resistant to codling moth, the worm common in apples and pears. The home of the quince is Crete and Greece. The wild forms are from Transcaucasia and Persia. In the Middle Ages, the quince was not only food but also used for medicinal purposes.
Constantinople Quince
Fruit is large, apple-shaped formed at the stem end with sharp ridges. Skin is pale yellow with green
hints. Sweet, tangy flavor. Juice runs clear, with red tint. Introduced by Gillet in 1880. He considered it the finest quince variety of the day. Many Europeans agree. Fruit ripens in October and November.
The mother tree is growing at an old homestead on Coyote St. in Nevada City, about ½ mile from Gillet’s Barren Hill Nursery. It is a large producer of numerous high quality fruit on a compact, bushy tree about 12’ tall.