John's sister Anna has quite a number of heirloom fruit trees on her property in nearby Te Kuiti, where she runs Tomo Potz B&B. These include a rather extensive bank of quince trees. I hadn't been familiar with this fruit before then, but it seems to be enjoying quite a resurgence in popularity.
This autumn's crop is plentiful, so I should have a good supply to play with. Anna makes quince jelly, and I've made quince paste and crumbles previously. But this year I want to be creative, to test if we might want to get a tree for our orchard at Struan Farm.
It turns out that quince is related to both apples and pears. It was used as a ritual offering at weddings by the ancient Greeks. The term "marmelade," originally meaning quince jam, is derived from the Portuguese word for the fruit, "marmelo." In the Middle East dried pits from the fruit are soaked in water and used as a remedy for sore throats and coughing. The fruit is also made into wine.
This all sounds pretty good to me....
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