Makes 6 lb (2.7kg)
4 lb (1.8kg) quinces
6 pints (3.5 litres) water
juice of 1 lemon
granulated sugar
Quinces turn yellow when ready for picking and can be quite difficult to see in a tree with yellow autumn leaves. They are as hard as wood but quickly turn to pulp like cooking apples, and they make a pink jelly that has a sharp flavour.
Coarsely chop the quinces and put them into a preserving pan. Add 4 pints (2.4 litres) of the water and the lemon juice. Simmer gently for about 1 hour until fruit is very soft. As quinces soften, squash them with the back of a wooden spoon (extracts pectin).
Ladle fruit and juices into a scalded jelly bag and leave fruit to drip for 30 minutes. Then remove pulp from the bag and return to the rinsed pan along with the remaining 2 pints (1.1 litres) water. (Quinces are so high in pectin that pulp can be reboiled for a second extraction.) Simmer for 30 minutes, then ladle back into the jelly bag for a second straining.
Measure all the strained juice into the rinsed preserving pan and for every 1 pint (600ml) juice add 1 lb (450g) granulated sugar. Stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Draw off the heat and test for a set. Skim the surface. Pour into warmed jelly jars and cover. Add a spoonful of quince jelly to any cooked apple mixture to sweeten and flavour, or serve it with roast pork or game.