I have always lived in a warm climate so I have never grown medlars or
quinces nor seen them grow. I am now moving to a climate with a
cooler winter where I speculate that they might grow.

The area that I am moving to has a cool winter that lasts about 4 months
where the morning temperature is about -3C to 6C ( 27F to 43F) it has
heavy frost occasionally but it does not snow. Summer is warm to hot
(25C to 35C max) and it can be humid. I am not that familiar with the
USA zoning system but I guess it is zone 9.

Is there any chance of these fruits growing there?

The quinces that I have bought have always been hard and not tasty when
raw but good cooked. Do quinces ever ripen to the point where they can
be eaten raw? If so how is it done and what are they like?

Books advise that you must first blet your medlars, that is allow them
to ripen to the point of being nearly rotten. A question for those who
have eaten them, are medlars worth the trouble or are they just an
oddity that deserves obscurity?

David