There are two main types of quince – those of the cydonia variety which are known as the common quince and those of the japonica variety which are known as the ornamental quince. The fruit from both, although extremely hard and bitter when raw, can be used to make all manner of preserves from chutneys and wines to jams and jellies. This article offers a basic recipe for quince jelly.
Equipment for Making Quince Jelly
Quantities of the ingredients for making quince jelly depend on the amount of quinces available so aren’t actually shown in the quince jelly ingredients list given below but as a rule of thumb, allow about 1lb of sugar to 1 pint of strained quince juice. When straining the pulp, there’s no need to spend money on expensive jelly making equipment such as jelly bags with stands.
Simply boil a clean, fine cotton pillowcase in water for a few minutes (to sterilise it), allow it to cool and then fill it with the quince pulp. Suspend the pillow case over a bowl or pan from something like a saucepan stand (see photo) or an upended kitchen stool – or it could be even tied to the door handles of a high level, over the counter, kitchen cupboard.
Quince Jelly Recipe
Ingredients:
- Quinces
- Sugar
- Water
Method:
- Wash and roughly chop the quinces, discarding any discoloured, bruised or damaged pieces. There’s no need to peel or core them
- Put the chopped quince into a saucepan and add enough water to just cover them
- Bring the water to the boil and then simmer for about an hour or so until they are nicely pulped and the juice is beginning to turn slightly pink
- Pour the pulp into a jelly bag (or clean pillowcase prepared as mentioned above) and suspend over a bowl for several hours (overnight is fine) to allow the juice to drip through. Don’t be tempted to squeeze the pulp, as this will make the juice cloudy.
- Once drained, measure out the collected juice and put in a saucepan with sugar in the proportion of 1lb sugar to 1 pint of juice
- Slowly bring to the boil, stirring all the time and then boil rapidly until setting point is reached. To test for setting point, drop a little of the hot juice onto a saucer and let it cool. If the jelly solidifies almost immediately rather than runs, then it is ready to pot.
- Scoop off any scum and then pour into hot sterilised jam jars, seal and cool.
Quince jelly is delicious served with any cold meats or hot roasts such as duck, pork or game. However, it can also be used to make lovely puddings like those in this article: Delicious Dessert Recipes Using Quince Jelly. Also, don't forget, the leftover quince pulp from this recipe needn't be thrown away as it can be cooked up with sugar to make a delicious quince cheese.
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