"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...
[...]
At my old school there was a dual-purpose row of quinces. Real quinces, not
japonicas. The teachers used them as a source of sticks for caning purposes
and we used them for the fruit, which we surreptitiously fermented into a
potable, if sour, alcoholic drink.

Our housemasters beamed benignly when we made ginger beer: as you've
guessed, they weren't biology masters!

Mike.