"Andy Mabbett" wrote in message
...
I have just collected a couple of dozen fruits from my Japanese Quince.
Though they're as hard as bullets, most had fallen to the ground.

Will they ripen, or is that it?

How might I use such a relatively small quantity?
--
Andy Mabbett


Quince Fruits.
Should you decide to cook your fruits and produce a jelly then here is a
recipe I have used, passed on from my mum.
4 lb Quince
6pt Water
Rind & Juice of 3 lemons

--------------

1lb of sugar to 1 pint of juice.

You will need a large jam kettle.
Wash the fruits
Cut them into quarters (at this point you will have seeds flying in all
directions, so DUCK!)
I do not use the seeds at all.
Bring the water,quarters, rind and juice of the lemons to the boil until the
fruit has softened enough for you to either mash or strain through a muslin.
Baby muslins can be useful for this.

When you are satisfied all the goodness has been captured. Measure the
liquid, incorporate the sugar, bring to a rapid boil for at least
10 -20mins.
Test for setting. I usually place a tea plate in the fridge to cool, then
drop the mixture on the plate, leave it for a short time to attempt to set.
then using your little finger gently push the jelly mix and if it wrinkles
this jelly is ready to go into a pre-prepared washed and well heated jar.
Should the jelly continue to stay runny, then lick the finger, clear the
plate of any other delicious jelly, wash the plate and go through the same
process again 5 mins later.

I have made this Jelly more than once and found it difficult to set, until
two years ago I decided to eliminate the lemon, as this made it very bitter,
and used prepared sugar with added pectin. The results gave me a tart
jelly, not bitter with a less runny texture which I find preferable to the
first few batches I made.

Happy Jelly Making.
One other tip you may wish to use is to cap the Jelly with a wax coating
after it has set in the Jar.

Sue

In article ,
Stephen Williams wrote:


Quince Fruits.
Should you decide to cook your fruits and produce a jelly then here is a
recipe I have used, passed on from my mum.
4 lb Quince
6pt Water
Rind & Juice of 3 lemons

If you are using japonica, then don't both with the lemons. Japonica
as LASHINGS of acid and sets like a rock just on its own.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Stephen Williams wrote:

: One other tip you may wish to use is to cap the Jelly with a wax coating
: after it has set in the Jar.

I beg to differ. pour the very hot jelly into heated jars and screw down
the lids firmly immediately to make an air tight seal. As the they cool
down, the lids should "pop" as a vacuum forms inside. Thus treated they
should keep for years - literally.

I'm baffled by this allowing to cool in the open and then waxing business.
Invariably there is contamination and the jam/jelly is less likely to keep
very long.

Only thing I can think of is that it is advice from the period before
glass jars and air tight tops were available. Also I suppose they look
pretty in glossy photos in coffe table preserve books.

In article ,
J Jackson wrote:
Stephen Williams wrote:

: One other tip you may wish to use is to cap the Jelly with a wax coating
: after it has set in the Jar.

I beg to differ. pour the very hot jelly into heated jars and screw down
the lids firmly immediately to make an air tight seal. As the they cool
down, the lids should "pop" as a vacuum forms inside. Thus treated they
should keep for years - literally.

Not surprising, considering that even such jelly keeps for years open
to the air!

I'm baffled by this allowing to cool in the open and then waxing business.
Invariably there is contamination and the jam/jelly is less likely to keep
very long.

Not really. I agree that it should be done when the jelly is still hot
if done at all, but it isn't necessary anyway.

Only thing I can think of is that it is advice from the period before
glass jars and air tight tops were available. Also I suppose they look
pretty in glossy photos in coffe table preserve books.

Well, yes :-)


The reason that some jams, jellies etc. don't keep very long is that
they have a low concentration of sugar and acid. In particular, many
commercial ones use a high amount of (probably synthetic) pectin,
which is a protein. Combine that with a small proportion of sugar
and acid to water, and you have a recipe for decay. If the preserve
doesn't have enough free water to allow bacterial and fungal growth,
it will keep indefinitely, and a high acid level blocks most bacteria
and some fungi.

Because of this, the normal problem with home-made acid fruit preserves
is mould on the surface, and that can just be scraped off. If they are
low on sugar, they may ferment (acetobacter, saccharomyces or lactobacter
are the main ones). The last makes things smell like sick, but none
will harm you.

I regularly eat jams and jellies over 5 years old, and have eaten ones
over 10 years old. This Christmas, we ate japonica cheese that had been
open to the air since October 2001. It was excellent. But the key to
all of them is high acid and not low sugar.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

I regularly eat jams and jellies over 5 years old, and have eaten ones
over 10 years old. This Christmas, we ate japonica cheese that had been
open to the air since October 2001. It was excellent. But the key to
all of them is high acid and not low sugar.

When my parents moved in 1985, they took all the home-made jams and
marmalades with them.

When the house they moved to was sold about four years ago, I acquired
the remainder. Some of the jam was made in the 1960s, and still good,
though crystallised, with rock-hard nuggets of sugar amongst it. Half an
hour in the microwave set on defrost rectified the situation.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Nick Maclaren wrote:

: The reason that some jams, jellies etc. don't keep very long is that
: they have a low concentration of sugar and acid.

Indeed.

I generally like to keep added sugar levels to a minimum, the "hot seal"
method works better as a general method.

: Because of this, the normal problem with home-made acid fruit preserves
: is mould on the surface, and that can just be scraped off. If they are
: low on sugar, they may ferment (acetobacter, saccharomyces or lactobacter
: are the main ones). The last makes things smell like sick, but none
: will harm you.

: I regularly eat jams and jellies over 5 years old, and have eaten ones
: over 10 years old.

The oldest I have is 1995 - it looks fine.

: This Christmas, we ate japonica cheese that had been
: open to the air since October 2001. It was excellent. But the key to
: all of them is high acid and not low sugar.

But there's a world of a difference between a fruit cheese and a fine
fruit jelly :-)

In article ,
J Jackson writes:
| Nick Maclaren wrote:
|
| : The reason that some jams, jellies etc. don't keep very long is that
| : they have a low concentration of sugar and acid.
|
| Indeed.
|
| I generally like to keep added sugar levels to a minimum, the "hot seal"
| method works better as a general method.
|
| But there's a world of a difference between a fruit cheese and a fine
| fruit jelly :-)

Not really. The difference is in what you are using and how much
of it! If you are using japonica, it is so acid that an appropriate
level of sugar doesn't make it sickly. If you are using (real)
quince, strawberry etc., the same is NOT necessarily true, and the
keeping qualities are more of an issue.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from J Jackson contains these words:
Stephen Williams wrote:

: One other tip you may wish to use is to cap the Jelly with a wax coating
: after it has set in the Jar.

I beg to differ. pour the very hot jelly into heated jars and screw down
the lids firmly immediately to make an air tight seal. As the they cool
down, the lids should "pop" as a vacuum forms inside. Thus treated they
should keep for years - literally.

I'm baffled by this allowing to cool in the open and then waxing business.
Invariably there is contamination and the jam/jelly is less likely to keep
very long.

Only thing I can think of is that it is advice from the period before
glass jars and air tight tops were available. Also I suppose they look
pretty in glossy photos in coffe table preserve books.

In total agreement with you. May I add, place jars on a baking tray or
similar and put in an oven at just a tad over 100°C, pour jelly into
heated jars, put jars back in the oven, wait until bubbles begin to rise
in *ALL* the jars, put lids on loosely and replace in the oven for two
or three minutes, remove and screw the lids down hard.

The space in the jars should be filled with steam, and completely
sterile, and no mould spores will have survived. Without the final
ceremony, some mould spores may survive and spoil all your careful
jellification.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/