Quince fruit are rarely used for direct consumption, because they are hard and have a very tart taste. However, they are extremely rich in valuable ingredients. Quinces are one of the latest ripening fruit in the orchard. Correctly determining when to pick quinces is very important, because fruit picked earlier are of lower quality and those picked later than needed may already be spoiled.
Quinces are stored very well if they are kept in a room that has very good ventilation. Some varieties are not suitable for very long storage, because they are attacked by bitter spores. Only fruit, which are healthy, with a smooth surface and without injuries are suitable for storage.
Note that the temperature of the room should not be too low - quinces are stored in warmer places than pears and apples - about 4-8°C and the air humidity is about 8°C.
At night or in the early morning hours, when it is coldest, the room can be opened and during the day it is closed and the windows can even be darkened. Before eating or preparing them for processing, quinces should be moved to a warmer location to ripen. It is very important to warm the fruit to prevent them from moistening.
If you have quinces available, we recommend making some of our recipes for:
- quince jam;
- quince vinegar;
- or some delicious quince cake;
