178 



HOME FRUIT GROWER 



QUINCE 



No fruit with which I am familiar has so lasting a flavor as the 

 Quince. Any one who will allow his curiosity to get the better of 

 his judgment may prove that a single taste of a raw one will last a 

 lifetime. Having once sampled a handsome specimen in my early boy- 

 hood I have no more hankering to take a second bite than I have to eat 

 an unripe Persimmon; for as the surgeons say, "the operation was 

 a success, "my appetite for raw Quince has been permanently appeased. 



While the Quince (Fig. 113) is said to be eaten raw as a dessert 

 fruit in Persia, we in America can use it only after it has been cooked. 



Fig. 1 13. No home garden is complete without at least one Quince bush 



For the making of jelly, marmalade, jam and syrup it is capable of 

 playing a role which no other fruit can equal or even approach. When 

 used alone it may be too strong-flavored for some palates but when 

 toned down by combining it with other fruits, especially Apples and 

 Pears, it is delicious and distinct. Every family orchard, therefore, 

 should contain at least one tree. The orchard of my boyhood boasted 

 twelve, so we could have twelve months continuous supply of Quince 

 concoctions. By the way, after the juice has been removed from 

 the cooked Quince in jelly making, the residue may be passed through 



