Quince Jam/Marmalade

My neighbors have a quince tree in their yard! Luckily for me, a good portion of the fruit falls onto my property. So I decided to make Marmalade. Although typically marmalade is now made with oranges, it is believed that the original was made with Quinces. Interestingly enough, NPR's Kitchen Window just featured Quince and has some good information on the fruits origins as well as some tasty recipes!

This is the bowl of the Quince after I trimmed off the bruised and pest-damaged parts. If you notice, some of the Quince's white fuzz is still visible on the fruits even after handling. Through most of the growing season, the quince will have a peach-like fuzz, and it only starts to shed when they are ready to pick. Another indicator of ripeness is their strong perfume smell.

As you can see, they have quite a few pips (seeds), and there is a thick gel surround each pip which I can only assume is part of the natural pectin.

So, I took the quinces inside, rinsed them quite well, making sure to leave most of the pips intact. I then put them in a tall pot, covered with water, and let cook down until the fruit were soft.

I then added some lavender water, honey, and about a quarter cup of sugar. Unfortunately I did not measure amounts of the ingredients or how much of quince I used, but with periodic tasting you can determine for yourself how sweet you would like your marmalade.

After cooking some more, mashing with a potato masher, I let the mixture strain through a colander. You could also use a cheese cloth or any other straining device. You may have to force them through with a spoon or ladle. A few seeds may sneak through.

After straining, I packed the mixture into sterilized jars and processed in a boiling water canner for about 10 to 20 minutes. If you're new to canning, a good resource is the USDA canning guide web site.

Finished product! It didn't turn the rosy pink color described elsewhere, but it still tastes good!

I also saved one jar in the fridge for immediate consumption. I'm planning on making a Sachertorte this week and will be using the quince jam as the filling (instead of the traditional apricot).