Q is for Quince

 When I asked for ideas for the A-Z posts an anonymous person suggested  Quinces for Q.

The Latin name is Cydonia oblonga and in the past they were associated with wedding happiness and were often presented to the newlyweds for luck.

Our word marmalade comes from the Portuguese word marmelada which was a thick paste made from quinces.

It's been many years since I wrote about the quince trees we had  at the smallholding. We planted two and the photo below is after about 7 years I think. 

The Quince trees 

I loved them for their flowers in spring. Looking like the flowers on a Magnolia before they opened.

They always fruited well and produce large, rock hard pear shaped fruit

For many years I used them to make Quince jelly - which went nicely with pork or chicken.

At the back of the village pub in my village, next  to the glass recycling bins is a Japonica, which is an ornamental shrub also known as a flowering or Japanese quince. It has red flowers in spring and in autumn produces these much smaller but also rock hard fruits.

Which apparently can also be used to make jams and jellies - although you would need several dozen and a very sharp knife.

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