Dear Reader,
Last week I was talking about beautiful Worcester Pearmain apples and I thought this week I would remind you of quinces. Their short season is now. The quince tree is deciduous and bears a pome fruit, similar in appearance to a pear and is bright golden-yellow when mature. The quince is a hardy drought-tolerant shrub which adapts to many soils and tolerates both shade and sun, but sunlight is required in order to produce larger flowers and ensure fruit ripening. It was favoured by landscape architects such as Fredrick Law Olmsted in the early 20th century for its attractive blossom.
Most varieties of quince are too hard to eat raw but are used to make jam, jelly and quince pudding, or they maybe peeled, roasted, baked or stewed. Adding a diced quince to apple sauce will enhance the taste of the apple sauce with the chunks of relatively firm, tart quince.
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The following quote is probably one you all know from Edward Lear's (1812-88), The Owl and the Pussy-Cat:
"They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
which they ate with a runcible spoon..... "
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From Francis Kilvert's diary, 1878, The Gower Peninsula, Glamorgan
"We had a merry windy luncheon on the bank near the churchyard gate, and great fun and famous laughing. An east wind was blowing fresh and strong, the sea was rolling in grey and yeasty, and in a splendid sunburst the white seagulls were running and feeding on the yellow sands. A wild merry happy day."
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Sometimes
I feel overwhelmed by
a spirit of joyfulness,
a desire to jump, to dance,
to laugh, to see the world
in a bright light,
sometimes I am optimistic,
enjoy the warmth of the sun,
soft patter of rain on my face,
the wonders of this world.
Sometimes I believe
people are kind and good,
are innocent of evil,
deserve praise and
I honour them,
and sometimes I don't.
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With very best wishes, Patricia
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