Quince

Quince: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small tree or large shrub of 4–7 m with twisting branches and a broad, rounded crown.

Leaf

Alternate, 5–10 cm, oval, untoothed; dark green above, grey- to white-felted below.

Bark

Smooth, greyish-brown and flaking in plates; twisting branches.

Flower

Large, pale pink flowers (4–5 cm) borne singly on short shoots, in May, after the leaves.

Fruit

Pear- or apple-shaped, golden-yellow fruits (8–12 cm) with a downy coat and a strong fragrance. Hard and astringent raw, delicious cooked (jelly, quince cheese).

Difference from medlar

Medlar has brown fruits with an open crown and lance-shaped, hairy leaves.

Difference from pear

Pear has glossy, hairless leaves on a long stalk and white blossom in small clusters.

Flowering: May · Harvest and fruit: September–October · Pruning: December–February

Identify by feature: White or silver underside · Pink blossom · Peeling bark

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Medlar Mespilus germanica: brown fruits with an open crown and lance-shaped, hairy leaves. Difference from medlar
• Pear Pyrus communis: glossy, hairless leaves on a long stalk and white blossom in small clusters. Difference from pear

Why grow it?

• Fragrant, golden-yellow fruit for jelly, compote and quince paste.
• Large, pale pink flowers in May: one of the loveliest blossoms of any fruit tree.
• Self-fertile: a single tree already bears fruit.
• Stays small and needs little pruning.
• A graceful tree with twisting branches and flaking bark.

Quince: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and warmth: the fruit ripens best in a sheltered, sunny spot.
• Any well-drained soil that neither dries out nor stays wet for long; on very chalky soil the leaves may turn yellow.
• Allow 4–5 m across.
• Lovely as a specimen in a lawn, in a small orchard or by a patio, where you can enjoy the blossom and the scent up close.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

6 m tall, 5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Medlar: Another old fruit for late autumn, with the same care: together a ‘forgotten fruit’ corner.
• English lavender: Scent, colour and bees in full sun, at the edge of the crown.
• Cornelian cherry: Small yellow flowers in February–March, long before the quince blooms, and red fruit in summer.

Good and bad companions

Best kept away from

• Fruit trees that can catch fireblight from this plant: apple, pear, nashi pear

Quince: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March; a container-grown tree can go in all year, except in frost or drought.
2. Dig a generous planting hole and mix in some compost.
3. Keep the graft union a hand’s width above the soil.
4. Put a stake on the windward side and tie the trunk loosely.
5. The variety ‘Vranja’, with large, pear-shaped and very fragrant fruit, is widely available; one tree is enough for pollination.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first years, and in dry summers while the fruit is swelling.

Feeding

In March, some compost under the crown.

Harvest

Pick in October–early November, before hard frost, when the fruit is fully yellow and strongly scented. Handle them gently: they bruise easily.

Storing

Rub off the down and store them separately in a cool place: their scent taints apples and pears. They keep for a few weeks.

Tip: Cook the peel and cores in a muslin bag with your jelly: they are rich in pectin, so the jelly sets on its own.

Quince: when to prune it?

Pruning months: December–February.

When: In winter, not in frost.

How:

• Prune little: remove dead wood, water shoots and crossing branches, and keep the crown open.
• The fruit forms at the tips of short twigs: don’t shorten them.
• Young trees: formative pruning to a short trunk with 3–5 main branches.
• Remove suckers at the base of the trunk.

Caution: Don’t prune in frost, and disinfect your secateurs if you suspect fireblight.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Grafting

A variety is propagated by grafting a twig in winter onto a quince rootstock.

Hardwood cuttings or suckers

Quince roots fairly easily: take hardwood cuttings in winter, or detach a sucker with a piece of root. On a grafted tree, though, this gives you the rootstock, not the variety.

Quince: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy; flowering in May usually escapes night frost.
• In winter, remove dried-up fruits (mummies) from the tree and from the ground beneath: brown rot overwinters in them.

Diseases and pests

• Quince leaf blight: Small, reddish-brown to black spots on the leaves, followed by early leaf fall; the fruit gets spotted too. Clear up fallen leaves and keep the crown airy.
• Fireblight: Flowers and shoot tips wilt and turn black, with a hooked tip. Cut well back into healthy wood and disinfect your secateurs.
• Brown rot: Brown, rotting fruit with rings of small grey fungal pustules. Remove them, and the mummies in winter.
• Yellow leaves: On very chalky soil the leaves turn yellow between the veins. Work in compost; on such soil the tree stays weaker.

Through the year

• January: Winter pruning in mild weather; remove mummies.
• February: Winter pruning; planting in open weather.
• March: Compost under the crown.
• May: Flowering: large pale pink flowers.
• July: Watch for leaf blight and fireblight; cut out affected shoots.
• October: Harvest when the fruit is golden-yellow and fragrant.
• November: Make jelly and quince paste; clear up fallen leaves; planting.
• December: Winter pruning.

What can you use it for?

Food and drink

Quince jelly, quince paste (membrillo) and compote; raw, they are hard and astringent.

Garden and landscape

Large, pale pink flowers and fragrant yellow fruit in autumn.

Also used for

Rootstock for pears, to keep the trees small.

Caution: Susceptible to fireblight and quince leaf blight.

Edible and useful

Fruit (September–October)

Pick quinces at the end of September or in October, before the first frost, when they are golden yellow and strongly scented. Rub off the downy coating with a dry cloth. Raw they are hard and astringent; cooked they turn soft, fragrant and pink to deep red. Ideal for jelly, quince paste (membrillo) and compote, in a meat stew or with apple in a tart.

Storing

Quinces keep for a few weeks in a cool, airy place, not touching. Keep them away from other fruit and from potatoes: their strong scent carries over. Cooked pieces can be frozen.

Caution: Do not eat or crush the seeds: like apple pips, they contain substances that can release cyanide. You can, however, cook peel and cores for jelly, as the juice is strained afterwards. Cut hard quinces carefully: the knife slips easily.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Quince jelly (Jelly · ± 4 jars · 1.5 hours + overnight draining)
• Quince paste (membrillo) (Other · 1 dish of about 20 × 20 cm · 2.5 hours + 1–2 days drying)
• Poached quince with vanilla and cinnamon (Compote · serves 4–6 (± 800 g) · 15 min + 45 min)
• Chicken with quince and honey (Dish · serves 4 · 25 min + 50 min)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Quince is also used as a rootstock to keep pear trees small.
• The word marmalade comes from the Portuguese ‘marmelo’, quince: the first marmalade was quince paste.
• The quince comes from the Caucasus and the Middle East and has been cultivated for thousands of years.
• The scientific name Cydonia refers to Kydonia, an ancient city on Crete, today’s Chania.
• The word ‘marmalade’ comes from the Portuguese marmelo, quince: the original marmalade was a firm quince paste.