While you’re making the jelly, get two for the price of one by making a delicious paste.
By Liane Arno
WE PLANTED a quince tree at Blackberry House not long after we moved in and got troubled with codling moth so that, to be honest, we didn’t bother with quince paste at all.
Quince jelly is an entirely different matter of course as you essentially chuck everything, worms included, into the pot and then strain it all through a fine mesh so that all that is left is a luscious rose tinted liquid ready for sugar to be added and a bit of lemon juice to heat up to make the jelly.
WE PLANTED a quince tree at Blackberry House not long after we moved in and got troubled with codling moth so that, to be honest, we didn’t bother with quince paste at all.
Quince jelly is an entirely different matter of course as you essentially chuck everything, worms included, into the pot and then strain it all through a fine mesh so that all that is left is a luscious rose tinted liquid ready for sugar to be added and a bit of lemon juice to heat up to make the jelly.
Anyway, we went to a U3A permaculture class and discovered that one way of getting rid of the pesky critters is to put in a whole bunch of ground cover. This stops the life cycle of the moths. The larvae like to hibernate in leaf litter and then they have a kip in the soil over winter. When they feel like mating they climb the trees and lay eggs which then tuck into your quince or apple or pear trees.
If you clean up the weeds and litter and instead have ground cover or mulch or even cardboard, this stops the larvae from enjoying living there. Then the ground cover encourages other inhabitants like spiders and beetles to live who like to feast on the adult moths emerging from the soil to pupate.
Now I am not saying it has been 100% successful – but for the first time our quinces are not completely riddled. So we thought that we would make both paste and the jelly.
You all know how to make the jelly but I thought I would share with you how to make the paste at the same time so you don’t have to throw out all the flesh you’ve cooked. This recipe can be adjusted for whatever amount of quinces you have – just multiply for each kilo that you pick.
1. Core and peel your quinces. Now a tip to the wise. If you are really good at this and don’t leave any peel or hard bits you can put it through a food processor when it comes time to squish it. If you didn’t (I did leave the peeling to Matt (sorry Matt!)) then you need to push it through a sieve which is not an easy task.
2. Put the peel in your compost and put the cores in a muslin bag. Cut the flesh into chunks and pop them in a heavy based pot along with
3. Bring to the boil and then simmer with the lid on for about an hour. You will know they are ready when the quince is soft.
4. Chuck out the cores from the muslin bag, give it a quick wash, cover your colander with it and pour the quince flesh and the water into another heavy based pot. No squeezing or prodding – just let the water fall through naturally.
5. Take the flesh out of the colander and weigh it. This is the time to either put it into a food processor (if you have been meticulous in peeling and coring) or squishing it through a sieve. When you have the pulp put it back in the original heavy based pot it has come out of and then add:
6. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved and then simmer for about an hour and a half on a very low heat. Make sure to stir every 5 or 10 minutes otherwise your paste will burn. You will know when you are done when the paste turns a luscious ruby red and when you pull your spoon through it leaves a track before collapsing in on itself again.
While this is happening you have your jelly to make.
7. Measure the strained water by volume and pop it back into the pot. Add to the strained water
8. Bring to the boil and leave the lid off. No stirring on this one and it will take about 25 minutes before your jelly is ready to set. You can use a thermometer to test when it gets to 105°C or you can pop a saucer into the freezer and drip a spoonful of jam onto it. After about half a minute, push it with your finger and if it wrinkles up you are ready.
9. Pour the jelly into sterilized jars and pop the lids on when they are still hot.
10. Your paste will be ready to go shortly after you have done this but this time you are going to put the paste into a biscuit tin which you have lined with baking paper. Level it out. You now need to dry it. I dry it in my microwave with only the light on which provides a little bit of warmth. Some stick it in the sun. Some put it in the oven with only the fan on it. It should take just a day (or overnight) and then wrap it up in baking paper and foil and keep it out of the sun.
There you go – two for the price of one!
If you clean up the weeds and litter and instead have ground cover or mulch or even cardboard, this stops the larvae from enjoying living there. Then the ground cover encourages other inhabitants like spiders and beetles to live who like to feast on the adult moths emerging from the soil to pupate.
Now I am not saying it has been 100% successful – but for the first time our quinces are not completely riddled. So we thought that we would make both paste and the jelly.
You all know how to make the jelly but I thought I would share with you how to make the paste at the same time so you don’t have to throw out all the flesh you’ve cooked. This recipe can be adjusted for whatever amount of quinces you have – just multiply for each kilo that you pick.
1. Core and peel your quinces. Now a tip to the wise. If you are really good at this and don’t leave any peel or hard bits you can put it through a food processor when it comes time to squish it. If you didn’t (I did leave the peeling to Matt (sorry Matt!)) then you need to push it through a sieve which is not an easy task.
2. Put the peel in your compost and put the cores in a muslin bag. Cut the flesh into chunks and pop them in a heavy based pot along with
- 3½ cups of water for every kilo of whole fruit
- muslin bag filled with the cores
3. Bring to the boil and then simmer with the lid on for about an hour. You will know they are ready when the quince is soft.
4. Chuck out the cores from the muslin bag, give it a quick wash, cover your colander with it and pour the quince flesh and the water into another heavy based pot. No squeezing or prodding – just let the water fall through naturally.
5. Take the flesh out of the colander and weigh it. This is the time to either put it into a food processor (if you have been meticulous in peeling and coring) or squishing it through a sieve. When you have the pulp put it back in the original heavy based pot it has come out of and then add:
- the same quantity of sugar (scary isn’t it?)
6. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved and then simmer for about an hour and a half on a very low heat. Make sure to stir every 5 or 10 minutes otherwise your paste will burn. You will know when you are done when the paste turns a luscious ruby red and when you pull your spoon through it leaves a track before collapsing in on itself again.
While this is happening you have your jelly to make.
7. Measure the strained water by volume and pop it back into the pot. Add to the strained water
- the same quantity of sugar by volume. For every cup of quince water add a cup of sugar
- ⅛ cup of lemon juice for every cup of quince water
8. Bring to the boil and leave the lid off. No stirring on this one and it will take about 25 minutes before your jelly is ready to set. You can use a thermometer to test when it gets to 105°C or you can pop a saucer into the freezer and drip a spoonful of jam onto it. After about half a minute, push it with your finger and if it wrinkles up you are ready.
9. Pour the jelly into sterilized jars and pop the lids on when they are still hot.
10. Your paste will be ready to go shortly after you have done this but this time you are going to put the paste into a biscuit tin which you have lined with baking paper. Level it out. You now need to dry it. I dry it in my microwave with only the light on which provides a little bit of warmth. Some stick it in the sun. Some put it in the oven with only the fan on it. It should take just a day (or overnight) and then wrap it up in baking paper and foil and keep it out of the sun.
There you go – two for the price of one!