Quince jam from semi-organic quince!

The quinces are from our own garden and I would love to say they are 100% organic, but they are not. There are a few quince trees with their branches stuck together near the gate that gives access to the garden. Last August, I sprayed them to prevent the quinces from worming. Actually, I did this more for the quince tree than for the quinces because the quince tree can rot quickly when wormed.

Since I limited the spraying to one time, I can say that I obtained semi-organic quinces, although not fully organic. The type is what we call bread quince in the local language, which is soft and juicy.

Although I like quince relish better with pasta, I decided to make quince jam with some of it. This is my second attempt, I made it last year and used honey from sunflowers instead of sugar.

I got a good result in terms of flavor, but visually the quinces had turned purple and the appearance was unappealing.

Anyway, the x3-fold increase in honey prices this year and the possibility of the quince turning purple made me turn to sugar as an alternative.

I got the recipe from my sister, she explained it nicely on the phone. She said she would come for a run if you want, but the distance she called a run was 30 kilometers!

I peeled the quinces and cut them into long potato slices and then into small cubes. At least my sister said to cut them into cubes in the recipe, but I doubt that these were cubes.

I used sugar in each glass plate, just the right amount for the quince, thinking that it would be chewed in the mouth and sent to the stomach crushed anyway. Although I was tempted to reduce the sugar because I thought it was too much, my sister's intervention prevented me from doing so.

After combining the quinces and sugar in the pot, I stirred them for a few minutes. This caused the sugar and quinces to get watery. I cooked it on high heat until it started to boil, then on low heat for about half an hour... a while before turning off the heat, I added a few drops of lemon juice to thicken the syrup.

My quince jam is ready. I can't say anything about its taste because it hasn't cooled down completely yet, but there was no deterioration in its appearance and color.

If I can do it, anyone can. Don't be afraid and give it a try! Enjoy extra flavors with the produce you grow yourself, from the soil to the table.

Bon appetit!