Gardening for You: Quince is the queen of autumn fruits
A coveted quince may have started the Trojan War. Greek lore says quince was the golden apple that the love goddess Aphrodite coveted.
Aphrodite devised a scheme that enticed the mortal Paris to declare her as the most beautiful of all goddesses and in return, if Paris did name Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess, she would make sure he would get the most beautiful of mortal women, Helen of Troy. Aphrodite made this promise to Paris so that she would get for herself the coveted golden apple, sparking the 10-year Trojan War.
Perhaps it is this Greek lore that positions quince as the queen of fruits, or it may be simply because it is a fragrant, exceptional fruit.
The specific epitaph for quince is from the Latin Cydonia oblonga (si-DOE-nee-a OB-long-ga), named from its mythological origin in the ancient city of Cydonia. In Greek lore Cydonia was a city on the northern coast of Crete that was founded by King Cydon, grandson of Zeus. Interestingly, ruins of the ancient city Cydonia have been found under the modern city of Chania (crete.gr). The fruit of Cydonia, quince, is even an important garden plant in Homer’s Odyssey (Arnoldia 67(1):2-9).
The genetic center of origin of Cydonia is recognized as the Trans-Caucasus region of Asia, spreading to Europe and eventually to the western hemisphere (ars.usda.gov).
Quince is a pome fruit in the family Rosaceae. Other familiar Rosaceae pome fruits are apples and pears. The fruit of a quince is similar to that of a hybrid between apple and pear, but unlike its smooth-skinned cousins, quince skin is irregular, bumpy, and covered with fine fuzz. Quince fruit is large, weighing 8 to 10 ounces. When mature the skin turns from lime green to a rich golden yellow (perhaps why quince is known in mythology as the golden apple).
Quince trees were at one time common garden trees but today quince are uncommon tree fruits, unlike its popular cousins apples and pears. Most people have likely never seen nor tasted a quince fruit.
They are nice, small- to medium-sized garden trees that have a showy display of white, pinkish, self-fertile blossoms in the spring. Dark green leaves are large and leathery, turning a deep burgundy in autumn. Fruits set in early spring and mature in late October.
The rarity of quince may be because, unlike apples and pears, folks don’t know how to eat quince. Quince is almost inedible raw, yet wonderfully fragrant when cut; after baking or poaching the firm flesh sweetens and softens and turns a lovely deep rose.
A popular culinary use is Dulce de membrillo, or quince paste, which is a favorite in Europe, particularly Spain. Sources of quince trees: treesofantiquity.com; tytyga.com; burntridgenursery.com.
Harvesting a crop of quince is an autumn garden delight. It is a jewel of a fruit, maybe a queen.
Ellen Peffley taught horticulture at the college level for 28 years, 25 of those at Texas Tech, during which time she developed two onion varieties. She is now the sole proprietor of From the Garden, a market garden farmette. You can email her at gardens@suddenlink.net
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Gardening for You: Quince is the queen of autumn fruits
