"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Pat Gardiner" writes:
|
| I have now identified, the ones we had years ago, pretty certainly as
| Chaenomeles japonica. It was as bushes under a south facing window. It
was
| pruned very sharply and only one year produced fruit. We shall have to
see
| how it does under a high north facing wall.
|
| That fruit made a very good jelly of a very similar flavour to Meeches
or
| Serbian Quinces.
|
| That is what baffled me. It is unusual for the fruits of totally
different
| species taste so similar.
|
| Does anyone know why?

They're not actually that different?

Seriously. They are closer to each other than quinces are to pears,
and a LOT close than either are to apples.

Ah. My memory for taste is accurate. Thanks

I guess most people here are about my age. It never ceases to amaze me just
how many flavours we missed out on as children - the war and rationing, no
doubt.

My ambition to "grow everything edible " has led me to many unusual
flavours, and a sometimes rebellious Mrs Pat to find ways to make the not
very edible a rare and unusual treat.

Her finest hour on deserts used to be her Pavlova - our own Jersey cream,
the Meringue from our own egg white (alas not our own sugar) and a least a
dozen softfruits - of unusual colours including white strawberries. (Would
you believe they fool the birds?). It was huge too

We lived more or less totally self-sufficient. We live fairly remotely and
I'm always very surprised how restricted the local diet still is. I have to
act like a very determined missionary to get the lad who helps me in the
garden to try something new. Yet they admit that their granparents were far
more adventurous. The last remnants of the Victorian and Edwardian high
table I suppose.


--
Regards
Pat Gardiner
www.go-self-sufficient.com






Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Stuart Noble" wrote in message
...
Pat Gardiner wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 21/1/08 15:56, in article ,
"Pat
Gardiner" wrote:

"Pat Gardiner" wrote in message
...
After nearly ten years, I'm planting the last wall in the walled
garden.

You can see the garden on
http://www.go-self-sufficient.com/photowalledg.htm

You can see the north wall at the far right, the inner side has the
peaches apricots, and sweet cherries.

The outer north facing surface has been cleared of vegetation and I
have
planted three damsons (that I know do well on a north wall) and I have
two
more spaces.

My problem is that makes five different damsons and two pairs Morellos
and
Nabelas already.

It there another sharp cherry that would do OK on this wall? Is there
any
other fruit that might thrive? I'm stumpted.

Thanks
Pat Gardiner
I thought you would like to know that after much discussion a Japanese
Quince has won.

Japanese quince is or C. speciosa of which there are
many named varieties. The best thing might be to Google and see once
closest in colour to what you want or better yet, go some nurseries now
as
they're flowering.
Japanese quince is NOT Cydonia which is the 'true' quince with very
large
fruits, making eventually a large tree. It's a beautiful tree but it is
quite rarely seen nowadays whereas Japanese quince or Chaenomeles are
seen
all over the place. If you Google image search on both you'll see the
differences.

Yes, well done, that is the one, see reply above as well - thank you.



To my mind the chaenomeles japonica fruit is inedible, even after a bout
in the pressure cooker and equal amounts of sugar. Every year I collect
the fruit with good intentions, and every year I end up dumping it.
Mine thrives on a west facing, but quite shady, fence

Yes, it is off-putting, but it will make a reasonable jam

....and as Sacha says it will make a genuinely fabulous jelly.

We have become accustomed to receiving perfect fruit, vegetables and meat,
well presented AND restricted to items that sell in bulk to the British.

It is not just the beggars that are awkward to grow, pick and pack that are
excluded from the shops, but also those where the time necessary to process
them has driven them from the diet.

With eating your own animals and much fruit and veg, you have to delve back
into history to handle the awkward ones e.g. stoning plums, cooking the
tougher cuts of meat, relieving the boredom of endless leeks in winter.

My experience of struggling has generally been favourable, Mrs Pat's hot,
flushed and fed up is "I can see why nobody wants that anymore!"

I love quince jelly...she...well!

It is entirely her own fault. She banns me from the kitchen for being
"dirty" and refuses all offers of help.

Anyway, I won the "chaenomeles japonica" battle mostly because they are
pretty.

Thank you all, your help has been appreciated. If anyone thinks I may be
able to help them any time always feel free to email and I will pop up to
order

I'm not a regular visitor. My battle with the government over animal health
and the source of much MRSA takes up too much time and is too important to
take second place.


--
Regards
Pat Gardiner
www.go-self-sufficient.com

In article ,
"Pat Gardiner" writes:
|
| I guess most people here are about my age. It never ceases to amaze me just
| how many flavours we missed out on as children - the war and rationing, no
| doubt.

Well, yes, I am the former - but count me out of the latter!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
"Pat Gardiner" writes:
| "Stuart Noble" wrote in message
| ...
|
| To my mind the chaenomeles japonica fruit is inedible, even after a bout
| in the pressure cooker and equal amounts of sugar. Every year I collect
| the fruit with good intentions, and every year I end up dumping it.
| Mine thrives on a west facing, but quite shady, fence
|
| Yes, it is off-putting, but it will make a reasonable jam
|
| ...and as Sacha says it will make a genuinely fabulous jelly.

It's excellent as cheese, pickle[*], ice-cream, as sauce and good in
tarts. But in all cases, mainly for people who regard lemons as
table fruit :-)

We don't bother to collect most of them, but they keep on the ground
until early spring.

| We have become accustomed to receiving perfect fruit, vegetables and meat,
| well presented AND restricted to items that sell in bulk to the British.

And things that taste and feel like predigested pap.
[*] Japonica, chillis, wine vinegar, salt and bay leaves. Suitable
for enlivening the dullest mousetrap. Not for wimps.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 21/1/08 19:16, in article , "Pat
Gardiner" wrote:

snip

Anyway, I won the "chaenomeles japonica" battle mostly because they are
pretty.

Thank you all, your help has been appreciated. If anyone thinks I may be
able to help them any time always feel free to email and I will pop up to
order

I'm not a regular visitor. My battle with the government over animal health
and the source of much MRSA takes up too much time and is too important to
take second place.

One of the nice things about urg is people popping in and out and sometimes
returning after a lengthy absence. The thing I like is to see those people
back on a regular basis *and* to know the outcome of their original query.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'