As tender as the quince smells - of lemons and flowers - it is tough if you want to get close to it.

Nothing works without a strategy, you also need a really big knife.

Anyone who has a quince tree in their garden is probably happy about it.

If you see the yellow fruits on the market: be sure to buy it, regardless of whether it is apple or pear quince.

The former are particularly suitable for jellies and jams because they are particularly aromatic;

however, most quince recipes work with both types.

Quinces that are harvested now and into November are covered with a whitish, firm down.

You have to rub it with a cloth, then the fruits can be washed and processed;

They are no pleasure raw, and most of them are rock-hard.

Jacqueline Vogt

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung, responsible for the Rhein-Main section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

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Quince yellow: That says something to everyone, even to those who otherwise have little use for this fruit.

The fruits, which have their original home in the Caucasus, were spread to Europe in antiquity and are still often found by the wayside on Mediterranean islands, have long been replaced by apple and pear trees in this country.

Hardly anyone can talk about this as knowledgeably and entertainingly as Marius Wittur, who has a quince farm, who laid out the Astheim quince nature trail near Volkach an der Mainschleife and runs the “Quince House”, a mixture of shop and educational facility.

Wittur likes to say that with the quinces it is like it used to be with the apples: At first only a few noticed when the variety of a popular fruit was decreasing.

When clearing premiums were paid for fruit trees in the seventies and the apple trees were sawn on the orchards on the outskirts, it was done publicly, as it were.

Many have seen this, many have been outraged by what has planted the seeds for many initiatives to preserve and recultivate old apple varieties.

Quince trees, on the other hand, says Wittur, have always been mostly in house gardens in this country, and when they have been felled, it is not with public sympathy.

Around 200 types of quince worldwide 

In southern Germany in particular, many private individuals still have quince trees, and for a few years there has been a kind of quince renaissance - and not just there. Perhaps Marius Wittur contributed to this with the quince products he manufactures and the varieties that he cultivates and that you can buy from him for growing in your home garden: the honey quince, the Rhön beak quince, the Würzburg gold quince.

Most types of quince are self-fertile, a distinction is made between apple and pear quinces. Apple quinces are more rounded and very aromatic, pear quinces are elongated and a little softer. All should be stored in a cool place at temperatures just below zero until processing, but not for too long; after about eight weeks the pulp begins to turn brown. Despite being so firm, quinces should be handled with care because bruises can quickly rot.

There are said to be around 200 types of quince worldwide, but they all have a high tannin content, which makes them taste bitter and sour when you try them. However, if they are cooked, acid and flavoring form a delicate combination. Jam, jelly, compote - the fact that something like this can be made from quinces is better known than the fact that the fruits are also excellent in hearty cuisine.

Tastes good, for example, as a vegetarian main course or as a side dish to briefly roasted meat in a light sauce, a rösti made from potatoes and quince. For four to six side dish servings you need: 400 grams of quince, 400 grams of waxy potatoes, 100 milliliters of cream, 120 grams of chopped cashew nuts, a little chopped parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then: Wash and peel the potatoes, the quinces as well (use a potato peeler). Roughly grate the potatoes and quince, mix with the remaining ingredients, season. Fry the mixture in portions in hot butter, flattening it with a spoon.

Quinces in wine go well with game.

To do this, boil 750 milliliters of red wine with 100 grams of sugar, 100 grams of honey, two cloves, a cinnamon stick and two star aniseed.

Add 750 grams of quince (grated, washed and pitted) and simmer until soft.

Remove, add sugar to the liquid if necessary, reduce until syrupy and then pour over the quince.

Quinces from the oven are a nice dessert: one or two people per person are braised at 200 degrees for an hour until they give slightly to pressure.

Then halve, remove the core, brush with smoothly stirred apple jelly, add sugar and place in the oven for another hour, then grill briefly so that they get a crust.

Finally serve with whipped cream.

Does your neighbor love you?

If he has quinces, makes quince bread and gives away some of it, then yes.

And when the quince bread is dipped in chocolate, it is especially special.

There is hardly a more delicious candy, if you don't get it as a free gift, you have to make it yourself (unfortunately that's tedious) or just buy it - what Manufactum has on offer is usually good.