Quince dishes. What to cook from quince? Classic quince jam recipe

Autumn brings us joy with all the colors! And what a harvest it sometimes brings! Among all the variety of southern fruits, quince always stands out for me in a special way, outwardly similar either to a pear or an apple, but invariably bright, sunny, slightly shaggy and tartly sweet in taste. Quince has been known to people for more than four thousand years. Legends say that it was Paris who presented it to Aphrodite, and since then it has always been considered a symbol of love and fertility. In the Middle Ages in Europe, receiving a quince as a gift was even a wordless declaration of love.
In our prosaic times, quince can be found in almost every southern garden or vegetable garden, or in as a last resort- on the market, where the “apple of discord” can be purchased at a very symbolic price.
The simplest thing that can be prepared from quince is drying. It is good in any compote, and a dried slice added to freshly brewed tea can easily replace a piece of lemon, and will also fill the usual drink with a persistent fruity aroma......

I tried drying quince last year, when we just purchased a dryer. And since then I have learned a lot about this wonderful fruit that is very useful for me. For example, fresh quince is rich in iron, tartronic acid and mucous substances, which made it famous as an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and emollient used for tracheitis, bronchitis, flatulence and gastroenteritis. Fresh quince in large quantities not very useful, especially for people for whom vocal cords- work tool. But in boiled form (in compotes, marshmallows, in the form of dried slices) you can enjoy it in almost unlimited quantities.

Boiled quince and its compote are good for any toxicosis; it is a wonderful antiemetic that can always be at hand in case of liver problems and in case of exacerbation of acetone syndrome (alas, it has been tested and works great).

Thanks to its astringent properties, quince can be used as a hemostatic agent, and it also helps to cope with dysbacteriosis and normalizes digestive processes......

In general, not a fruit, but a miracle - wonderful. Today I will talk about how this miracle can be dried. I warn you right away: it is very difficult to eat dried quince, since it is quite hard and inelastic, so drying is only suitable for winter compotes, for tea and for adding to cabbage soup or borscht to give them a sour taste.

So, we take the quince, wash it thoroughly, trying to wash off the villi covering its surface, cut it lengthwise into 4 parts, remove the core - the “core”. If someone lives inside the quince (usually this happens when the fruit is very ripe and soft, and not yet processed in any way), then the cut out core can be safely thrown away; if not, leave it for “healthy drying” (I’ll tell you about this next time ).

We cut the quince quarters into thin slices (the “back” of the slice should not be thicker than half a centimeter for convenience and to speed up the drying process). The slices can be either longitudinal (if there was no one in the quince and the shape of the fruit is preserved) and transverse (if you are forced to cut out unsightly places):

Pour boiling water over the finished quince slices with a small addition lemon juice(you can add a lemon wedge) or citric acid (so that the dried quince remains light in color and does not oxidize). I steam the quince poured with boiling water a little, closing the pan with a lid, then when the water cools down, it can be drained.

We place the quince slices on dryer trays and dry them on a convenient setting until ready - the dried quince will resemble hard crackers. I store this drying in a bag in the refrigerator, and in winter, without pre-treatment (it is already well steamed before drying), I put it in tea or compote.

Proper storage of quince for the winter at home can provide us with these tasty and useful fruits whenever you want to enjoy them. What could be better than fruit in fresh in winter, taking into account all their beneficial properties. Japanese quince is known in our area as a cross between a pear and an apple, but these are just associations. In fact, although this fruit is grown in countries of Eastern Europe, but for us it is exotic, but in Central Asia and in southern Europe it is very popular. Quince or, as it is also called, “ Golden Apple"- record holder among fruits for pectin content and biological active substances. The harvest of quince fruits occurs in autumn; depending on the variety, it ripens from September to November. Now we’ll tell you in more detail about how to preserve quince for the winter at home.

How to properly store quince

Storing quince at home is not always possible. Before storing quince in an apartment, it is necessary to properly collect the fruits, namely:

When collecting quince, you should not put too much pressure on it, so as not to crush it, as it will begin to deteriorate;
An unripe quince can be left to ripen, but even among the ripe fruits that have been removed, it will ripen quite quickly;
unripe fruits can be placed together with pears or apples, since storing quince with these fruits accelerates its ripening;
Quince harvesting is carried out only in dry weather, perfect time for this - morning, but when there is no dew.

Before storing quince at home, the fruits need to be sorted. Overripe quinces and those that were not removed from the branch, but picked up from the ground, are not suitable for storage. Even barely noticeable damage to the peel, small dents and beginning rot - all these signs make it impossible to store quince for a long time.

temperature - from 0 to 2°C;
humidity – 80%;
no light entering.

Depending on the variety and climatic conditions, quince can be stored from 20 to 120 days. It will not deteriorate if it is up to 8°C above zero, but with an increase temperature regime The shelf life is also reduced.

Unripe and large fruits will last a little longer than all the others. How to keep quince fresh at room temperature? You can, of course, wrap it in paper or film, but you won’t be able to keep it for longer than 2-4 days. In such conditions, it is more likely to overripe than survive. Therefore, you can leave unripe quinces outside the refrigerator, but until they ripen. Ideal place The best place to store ripe fruit is a cellar, basement or refrigerator.

How to store quince in the refrigerator

The quince can be placed in the refrigerator until it can be put to good use. Not only the fruit compartment is suitable for storing it, but also any of the shelves where the temperature is maintained from 0 to 8°C. To keep it there for as long as possible, it is advisable to wrap each fruit tightly with foil, paper or cling film. It is necessary to place the fruits so that they do not touch each other, as far as the size of the refrigerator allows. So quince can not spoil for up to 3 months.

How to store cut quince

There is no need to even talk about storing cut quince. Like its “brothers” - pears or apples, it begins to deteriorate the very moment it is cut. If you tightly wrap a half-eaten quince fruit with cling film, you can eat it the next day, but not later. In this case, the fruit should only “spend the night” in the refrigerator.

How to store quince in the freezer

Quince can be frozen, but not longer than 12 months, since the juiciness will gradually be lost. Before storing fruits in the freezer, they must be cleared of seeds and peel, then cut into slices and placed in a sealed food bag.

You can make puree and freeze it. It is better to use blast freezing, but at home this is usually impossible. Once the quince slices are completely frozen, they can be separated and poured into a food container. Like any other product, quince cannot be re-frozen. By the way, freezing will soften its taste and even get rid of the unpleasant astringency.

Other ways to store quince

If there is a cellar, then it is better to send the quince there. Humidity no more than 80%, no light, good circulation air and enough low temperature will prevent rotting of these fruits for up to 4 months. Preliminary quartzing of the cellar will make the shelf life of quince even longer. Before storing quince in the cellar:

it cannot be washed;
must be wiped with a dry, clean cloth;
wrap each fruit in foil or paper;
You can treat the fruits with wax.

In the cellar, the quince should be in a separate box. To prevent the fruits from coming into contact with each other, you can sprinkle the layers with sand or sawdust, which will also prevent the appearance of unwanted moisture.

If there are no conditions for storing quince, you can make delicious dried ones from it. You can dry quince outside if the weather is dry, in an oven at 75°C or in a special fruit dryer. The quince is peeled and cut into small slices; you can also put it under a press for a while or blanch it before drying, but this is not necessary. Prepared dried fruits are stored in containers that can be tightly closed. Do not put dried quince in linen bags or plastic bags, because insects love to eat dried fruits.

Quince fruits that are not suitable for long-term storage must be processed as soon as possible. Compotes, jams, preserves with pieces of quince - all this is extremely tasty and, without a doubt, deserves your time.

How to cook quince?

Quince fruits are hard with a sour taste. Boiled quince delights with its soft pulp; it is pinkish, sweet, with a granular texture, and tastes similar to a pear.

Before cooking, quince fruits should be thoroughly cleaned of fluffy coating, washed well, and in some cases you may even have to remove the skin. The fruits need to be cut in half, the core removed (the partitions and seeds should be dried and used for preparing decoctions and infusions, and the cut skin should be boiled in a small volume sugar syrup, it becomes aromatic and can be added to any quince dishes).

In order for the fruit to become soft, the pieces are blanched in water for 25 minutes, the broth is drained, filtered, sugar is added (800 g per 3 cups of broth), and brought to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan with the syrup from the heat, add the prepared quince pieces and leave to infuse for several hours. After some time, the syrup is boiled again, citric acid is added. With this cooking method, the slices become transparent, dense and very tasty.

How do you eat quince?

Quince is eaten with pleasure; it is perhaps the only fruit that, when raw, has a specific, very tart taste. Due to the hard skin and high density Quince pulp is not eaten like, for example, apples. Delicious quince dishes are prized in the Apennines and Sardinia. Quince slices boiled in honey are tastier than any candied fruit or marmalade.

To replenish the body with vitamins, take quince juice; it can be easily prepared using a juicer. It must be remembered that quince contains tannins in large quantities, so its consumption should be moderate.

Quince seeds

Quince seeds, namely their white shell containing mucous components, as well as the fruits, are valuable medicinal raw materials. Decoctions from seeds alleviate the condition of women with heavy menstruation, stop uterine bleeding.

Recipe No. 1: 8 pieces of seeds need to be poured with 200 ml of boiling water and cooked for 3 minutes. You should drink the decoction 0.5 cups 3 times a day.

When consuming a decoction of the seeds, hemoptysis and uterine bleeding are eliminated.

Recipe No. 2: 5-10 grams of seeds must be boiled in 100 ml of water until mucus forms. It is recommended to take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Mucous decoctions from the seeds are useful for treating eye inflammation, sore throats, skin irritations, burns, and as a laxative. Quince seeds are brewed as tea and drunk for dry, debilitating coughs. Also used healing infusions, effectively curing various ailments.

Seed infusion: pour 1 tablespoon of seeds into one glass of water at room temperature and shake vigorously for a couple of minutes. Take 1 tablespoon orally 3-4 times a day before meals.

Quince varieties

There are many varieties of quince registered in Russia, the best and most common of which are considered:

Angers;
oily early;
Mamarkand large-fruited;
Khorezm apple-shaped;
Ahmed-Zhum,
Portuguese.

Besides, a large number of different varieties are distinguished by good productivity. For example, the Aurora variety is resistant to unfavorable climatic and environmental conditions and is not susceptible to fungal diseases. Fruits abundantly.

The French variety "Angerskaya" has lemon-yellow fruits, which are used for processing and consumed fresh.

Quince "Golden" has large fruits with creamy, sweet-sour pulp. One tree produces from 40 to 60 kg of fruit.

The amazing ability of the “Ilmennaya” variety to produce a large harvest is noted, it turns out great amount sweet and sour, bright yellow fruits larger than average size. The pulp contains stony particles.

The “Kaunchi-10” variety is distinguished by large pear-shaped fruits with creamy pulp; they are juicy, sweet, and can be consumed raw.

The fruits of the quince “Collective” are apple-shaped, bright yellow, with light yellow flesh medium density With high content rocky particles. The tree has a high yield and is resistant to frost and drought.

Quince "Krasnoslobodskaya" has ribbed, bright yellow fruits similar in shape to apples. Their flesh is light yellow, medium density, juicy, with an incredible aroma.

The painstaking work of breeders makes it possible to enjoy different varieties, eat them fresh and as an ingredient in culinary dishes.

Quince fruit

Quince is aromatic fruit with yellow skin, comes in round and pear-shaped shapes, with firm and sour flesh. The high content of pectin substances is useful for people whose activities are associated with hazardous production, living in areas of increased environmental danger. Jam, jam and quince jams are different medicinal properties at inflammatory diseases intestines. Quince fruits ripen in October. It is recommended to collect them before the onset of autumn frosts. If properly stored, quince fruits can be consumed until the beginning of April.

Calorie content of quince

One hundred grams of quince contains 8.9 g of carbohydrates, there are 40 kcal. Quince the best way suitable for dietary nutrition, since it contains no fat, no sodium, and no cholesterol.

Quince became known 4000 years ago. It grows wild in eastern Russia. The fruits contain a tart base of sweet and sour taste with an astringent aftertaste. The taste of quince contains notes of apple and pear. The fruit has beneficial properties, it has a rich composition that allows it to be used in cooking and medicine.

Composition of quince

Quince fruits contain useful substances:

pectin compounds,
glucose,
calcium,
fructose,
organic acids - tartronic, malic, tartaric, citric,
iron,
calcium,
titanium,
B vitamins,
essential oils,
vitamin A,
ascorbic acid.

Useful properties of quince

Quince is actively used to prevent the development of many diseases and treat them.

Positively affects the nervous system.
Has an antiviral effect.
Helps fight stress.
Reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood.
Helps in treating hypertension due to its potassium content.
Reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Used in the treatment of eye and liver diseases.
Improves the condition of people with stomach ulcers.
It has a diuretic, antiseptic, hemostatic, analeptic, astringent, choleretic effect.
Quince is useful for dysentery, diarrhea, liver failure, tuberculosis.
Quince juice helps with problems digestive tract, with anemia.

How to choose a quince

In order for quince fruits to bring maximum benefits, you need to choose the right fruits and store them correctly. They should be large and dense with yellow skin of uniform color. The absence of green spots indicates that the quince is ripe. It is better to avoid buying fruits with dents.

After purchasing, the fruits need to be washed to remove any fluff that is on the surface. To preserve the fruits long time, they need to be wrapped in plastic wrap. In this way, you can keep quince fresh in the refrigerator for up to 60 months. Just don’t put a pear next to the quince, otherwise the quince will spoil too quickly.

Quince contraindications

It is not recommended to consume quince for those who suffer from constipation. During periods of exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases and enterocolitis, quince is contraindicated. In people prone to allergies, the fluff on the skin of the quince can cause coughing and irritation of the larynx.

Quince seeds inside can turn into hydrocyanic acid, so when processing it is better to remove them without crushing them. Possible individual intolerance fruit.

Application of quince

Quince is an excellent addition to tea. The sour taste and special delicate aroma go perfectly with the deep and rich taste of green or black tea. Quince slices can be added to already brewed tea, enjoying unusual taste. Compote is prepared from quince, jam is made, marmalade and jelly are made. It is added during cooking meat dishes. Quince is not consumed fresh. Tea with quince - delicious drink, which has beneficial properties.

The fruit is successfully used in cosmetology. The juice of the fruit is included in lotions; they help tighten pores when oily skin faces. It is easy to prepare such a lotion at home: quince juice, a few drops of cologne and camphor alcohol added to whipped egg whites. It can be used to treat skin that becomes velvety, smooth, and fresh.

To soften your facial skin, you can use a decoction of quince seeds. If you pour the seeds boiled water and strain, you get mucus, which is very useful for skin irritation and burns. In ancient times, quince juice was used to remove freckles.

A light massage with a piece of ripe quince reduces wrinkles. Crushed pulp from the fresh fruit is used for masks. The skin is saturated with vitamins and softens.

A decoction prepared from quince leaves can be used to color gray hair. It is also used to strengthen hair. They rinse their hair up to three times a week. Regular consumption of quince helps maintain beautiful view for many years.

Recipes for medicinal tea with quince

For weight loss

30 g of quince pulp is poured into 1/2 liter of boiling water, 20 g of cornflower flowers are added, and infused for 15 minutes. This weight loss drink, after straining, can be consumed up to five times a day.

For kidney treatment

For kidney diseases and edema, tea from quince leaves is used. For this, 1 tbsp. l. leaves, pour 200 ml of water (100°C), put on fire and boil for 5 minutes. Cool, drink 1 tbsp three times a day. l.

For bronchial asthma

An infusion of quince leaves is used to ease and stop attacks bronchial asthma. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over six quince leaves and place on water bath, boil for 20 minutes. Then the raw material is squeezed out and added boiled water up to 200 ml. Drink 2 tbsp of infusion. l. The resulting drink retains its properties for three days.

For uterine bleeding

Quince decoction is prepared from dried fruits. Take 10 g of quince, which are poured with 100 ml of boiling water. You need to drink the drink 1 tbsp. l. It improves appetite and successfully copes with uterine bleeding.

For diarrhea

200 g of quince need to be cut into pieces, pour boiling water. It is better to use a thermos; the drink should be infused in it for about an hour. At severe diarrhea The infusion is taken every hour until the unpleasant symptoms disappear.

At a temperature

For a cold, elevated temperature body, cough, it is recommended to take a warm infusion of quince fruits. To prepare it, you will need 2 small quince fruits, which need to be cut into slices (seeds removed). Pour a liter of boiling water, leave in a sealed container or thermos for 2 hours. When using, you can add a spoonful of natural honey.

For diabetes

1 tbsp. l. dried quince, add 250 g of water and simmer over low heat for five minutes. After this, remove from heat, leave for an hour, drink 3 tbsp before meals. l.

Drink recipes

Vitamin drink with quince

Dried raspberries, apples and quinces are mixed in equal quantities and poured with boiling water. It turns out to be a tasty and aromatic drink that can be drunk as tea. Honey is added to tea for taste.

Quince tea

1 liter of water

6 spoons of green and black tea

1 fresh fruit quinces or 3 dried fruits

sugar or honey to taste

Fresh quince fruit is crushed and placed in a teapot. Tea leaves are also placed there. The mixture is poured hot water(95°C), infuse for 10 minutes.

Using dried fruits It is better to brew them separately, then warm them up a little and pour them into tea. You can add not only fruits to the drink, but also quince leaves. To enhance the aroma, you can add quince slices to cups of tea.

Tea with Japanese quince

Japanese quince has a bitter, tart taste. The aroma of the fruit is stronger than that of ordinary quince. Tea with this type of quince is prepared according to the recipe described above. The proportions are also respected.

A fruit that is aromatic, yellow-skinned, round or pear-shaped is called quince. When fresh, it tastes hard and sour. The main thing that is valued in this fruit is high content it contains monosaccharides such as fructose and glucose, vitamin C and B, organic acids, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, essential oils and many other biologically active substances that are very beneficial for our body. To medicinal and preventive properties Quinces are associated with the fight against cough, bronchitis, sore throat, the common cold, sclerosis and even hypertension. Consumption of this fruit in dried form effectively strengthens immune system human body, treats eye diseases, serious illnesses gastrointestinal tract. And what is not surprising, healing properties possess not only the quince fruits themselves, but also their leaves, from which many medications, which have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effects.

From the above, based on the growing period of this fruit, which is only summer, it is advisable to dry these fruits for the winter, until the next harvest. Immediately before at home it is necessary to carry out preliminary preparation to this process. To do this, you need to sort the quince fruits by quality, size, and be sure to thoroughly rinse them under running water to remove dirt and dust. Then each fruit needs to be cut into slices or circles, the approximate thickness of which will be about five millimeters. The fruit skin and seed chamber should not be removed. To obtain quality raw materials, drying quince at home should be carried out after pre-treatment with sulfur dioxide, for which sulfur is burned in a special metal tank where the fruits have already been placed. But, before treating with sulfur, the quince must be blanched for several minutes, taking into account its dense pulp consistency. This process will speed up the drying itself. After which the resulting raw material must be dried in the sun, possibly in the oven or in an oven at a temperature of 65-85 ° C, but at the same time, the fruit slices are poured onto sieves, trays, spread in an even layer on baking sheets, grates or on a sunny area. Better dry quince at natural conditions drying.

This contains about 10.85% sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose), about 0.66% tannins, nitrogenous substances, 4.7% protopectins, as well as wine, apple, citric acids, mineral salts and much more. Having achieved high-quality raw materials through the drying process, you need to store them correctly so as not to spoil them appearance and internal contents listed above. The main problem The fruit may not be completely dried. It is required that the water content in dried quince does not exceed a certain limit, otherwise the dried fruit may begin to rot and deteriorate. Comply with all storage conditions. Be sure to place the dried fruits in pre-washed dry jars with tight-fitting lids and put them in a dark, dry place. Your kitchen cabinet is perfect for this. Also, keep an eye on the product so that food moths or their larvae do not appear, as they can ruin your product. And if this suddenly happens, take the dried quince and place it in a microwave or oven, preheated to a temperature of 75 degrees, and hold the dried fruit there for about three minutes. Then remove the quince from the hot baking sheet, cool and put it back into the jars. It is advisable to use the resulting dried fruits until the next harvest, since quince, when stored for a long time, tends to lose all its beneficial components.