In article ,
BAC wrote:
"Pickle" wrote in message
...

I've been given a load of quinces - any special tips on the quince jelly?
I've never made it before

My experience was as the grower of the quince, donor of the fruits, and
recipient/guinea pig of the finished product, so I can't tell you how to do
it. I have a vague recollection that mention was made it was quite difficult
to get it to set, but something like Certo (?) saved the day.

That sounds like real quinces - japonica sets like a rock! If you have
the former, I recommend scrounging some japonica to help with the set.
You can also test for pectin with meths and use lemons if necessary;
but remember to boil the seeds and pith of the latter well to extract
the pectin. Remember that a good set needs sugar, acid and pectin.

In all cases, cut the fruit in half or quarter, remove rotten bits,
almost cover with water and simmer carefully (i.e. don't burn it)
until a mush. Stir ad lib. Strain through an old tea towel tied
to the legs a a chair upside down on a table into a bowl; with a
high-pecting, high-fibre fruit like japonica, you may need to
loosen the mush in the towel and few times.

You can then add some more water (not too much) to the mush, reboil
and strain again. I do this 2-4 times, and stop when the liquid
starts to get thin, be short on acid and stop tasting strongly.
Then add up to 1 lb of sugar to 1 pint (I use c. 2/3 for a sharp
jelly), and boil down until it starts to set.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.