40 



orchards of New York have remained healthy and productive for 

 forty years. 



While the quince is a firm, hard fruit, it is easily bruised, and such 

 damages show up very plainly. It ought therefore to be handled 

 with care, from the time it is picked till placed upon the market. If 

 picked directly into half-bushel baskets, and carried in these to the 

 storage house, the bruising is perhaps as little as possible. For market 

 they may be packed in almost anything, from a grape basket to a 

 barrel. Where one can reach the retailer direct, large-sized grape 

 baskets are excellent, but barrels and half barrels are frequently used. 

 Practically the same arguments apply to the different packages as 

 apply to apples. 



Uses. 



Like a great many other good things quinces are not used as generally 

 as they ought to be. It is not the design of these notes to say all that 

 might be said on any phase of the subject, but it does seem that a few 

 suggestions as to some of the more common ways of serving quinces 

 would be in order. The writer can personally recommend the follow- 

 ing receipts. He cannot say that he has tried them all, but he has 

 tried the "results" and knows that they are good. They are taken 

 from various reliable cook books. 



As quinces are of such a strong flavor, a few of them will make a 

 large quantity of delicious marmalade, jelly and preserves by using 

 apples in combination with them-. The quinces should be cooked in 

 water until soft before adding sugar, for if sugar is added when cooking 

 begins, the quinces will become hard. 



Canned Quinces. — Pare and core quinces and an equal quantity of 

 sweet apples. Use one third the weight of sugar dissolved in enough 

 water to make a syrup. Cook slowly until tender. 



Quince Marmalade. — Pare and core quinces and cook until soft in 

 enough water to cover them. Then rub through a sieve and add three 

 quarters the weight of sugar. Cook twenty minutes and put into jeUy 

 glasses. 



Quince Honey. — ■ Pare and grate five large quinces. Add five 

 pounds of sugar to one pint of boiling water. When sugar is dissolved, 

 add the grated quince and cook twenty minutes. Turn into jelly 

 glasses. 



Quince Jelly. — Put parings and imperfect quinces into a preserving 

 kettle, with one quart of water to two of the fruit. Cook slowly for 

 about two hours. Then strain, measure juice and bring to the boiling 

 point. Add an equal quantity of hot sugar and boil until a drop of it 

 placed upon a cold dish hardens. A nice jelly is made by using one- 

 half apple juice in the above receipt. 



Preserved Quinces. — Pare and core quinces. Place in a kettle with 

 enough water to cover them and cook until soft. Then add sugar equal 

 in weight to amount of fruit, and cook until it reaches the desired color. 



