has anyone ever eaten quince?

[gs4life]

just wondering if anyone has ever eaten the fruit quince? it must be their season over here in spain because i'm seeing them a lot. last year i ate some type of jam or jelly made with quince and it was really good (that was before i was eating raw) and i'm wondering if anyone has eaten them raw.

i looked them up online and it seems as though they may be too astringent or sour to eat raw and are usually cooked...anyone?...

[mtraezme]

I've only had them as candy in Mexico. They make "ate" candy out of them. I tried to eat them raw over the summer and they were really bitter, but they may not have been fully ripe.

[Ilse W.]

Quince is not edible when raw, too astringent. I would think you could juice them and maybe mix the juice with other fruit juice, if it's not palatable by itself. I love quince. My grandmother had a quince tree.

[adelai]

This is totally off topic, but you're in Spain?! I am soooo jealous, I lived there for 6 months and that's when I started on my path to a healthy diet, I was already vegetarian and just found it so easy to eat local produce most of the time due to how incredibly cheap it was and how there was a market on like every corner. I naturally started eating that way without consciously trying at all, and I spent a ton of time outdoors, and my skin cleared up, and I had so much energy, and I just felt great. Then when I came back to the states (1.5 years ago), I quickly gained weight, broke out, and felt terrible, which is what led me to look into the diet I ate there and its connection to how great I felt, and I am happy to say that now on an organic raw diet I am back to that Spanish me.

Anyway, I think everyone should spend a few months in Spain =)

[gs4life]

thanks, mtraezme and emmat!

adelai--hey! where were you living in spain? i'm in madrid and unfortunately there isn't really an abundance of little markets--and those that we have are pricey. it's definitely more expensive for me to be eating this way, but i've decided my health is worth it!
although kind of expensive, most of the produce is really quite fresh and i am lucky to have access to such quality stuff. however, it's not exactly living in paradise here haha...i'm studying for my master's. last year i was here teaching english...and i ate really poorly...lots of bread and dairy...i discovered the raw lifestyle in the spring and have since kicked out the unhealthy stuff...i've never felt better!
did you make it up to barcelona while you were here? i was there in the spring and absolutely loved la boqueria (the market)--really great fresh fruit and juices!! okay...i guess i've ranted on enough... ;)
by the way, glad you're back to your healthy "spanish" self!

[Lady Green Jeans]

Quince is quite astringent if not really ripe, but can be eaten raw. Grew up with a tree on our property back in Ohio, so learned to wait for the first frost to eat them ripe. Pasted this from seach:

Quince is frost hardy and requires a cold period below 7 °C to flower properly. The tree is self fertile, however yield can benefit from cross fertilization. The fruit can be left on the tree to ripen further which softens the fruit to the point where it can be eaten raw in warmer climates, but should be picked before the first frosts.

Most varieties of quince are too hard, astringent and sour to eat raw unless 'bletted' (softened by frost and subsequent decay). They are used to make jam, jelly and quince pudding, or they may be peeled, then roasted, baked or stewed. The flesh of the fruit turns red after a long cooking time. The very strong perfume means they can be added in small quantities to apple pies and jam to enhance the flavour. Adding a diced quince to applesauce will enhance the taste of the applesauce with the chunks of relatively firm, tart quince. The term "marmalade", originally meaning a quince jam, derives from "marmelo," the Portuguese word for this fruit.[1][2] The fruit, like so many others, can be used to make a type of wine.

[gs4life]

thanks for the info, ladygreenjeans!

[adelai]

Oh that's a bummer about Madrid, I was in Valencia, right on the mediterranian, and it was basically growing season all year long, and the cheapest place I've ever lived. I used to have a goal of walking out of one of the produce markets with over 5 euros of produce, but I never made it, I quite simply couldn't carry that much! =) The freshness of everything was really great too.
I do miss the Paella, I can't think of a raw version of anything like that, but it's worth giving up to feel good.
I did visit Barcelona and Madrid, but just for a few days each, I was mostly hiking/biking in the mountains when I was free, I was doing research for my PhD in a lab there.
Good luck in Madrid, I guess there are always trade-offs, but definitely take advantage of access to fresh produce in the winter while you can!

[kaybee]

DONT put them in your smoothies.... great way to ruin a smoothie and render it only worthy of being dumped down the toilet...

we had these growing at my school when i was studying in rome. i was determined i was going to use these "big clumsy pears" for something. my roommate and i tried them raw and they were horrid. i didnt want to waste them and thought i could make it palatable by putting it in a smoothie. BLLLEECCH. it made my whole smoothie horrid; reminded me of trying to choke down cardboard or something .. smoothie went down the toilet.

so sounds like only if you can let a frost hit them they might be palatable raw.... we didnt get any frosts in rome.

[Lady Green Jeans]

If you do not get frost and the quince grow in your area, then taste before you use. They do ripen to a soft sweetness. When they are not ripe = definate mouth pucker (personally learned the hard way when my mother said "don't eat--they are not ripe). When ripe they really are a nice taste by themself. Not overly sweet but yet complex in flavor. Have never tried with anything else so not able to give an opinion there.

Please keep us posted on your personal results.

[gs4life]

thanks for the info and insight everyone! after reading all of the comments i don't think i'll buy one...i would have no way to know if they have experienced a frost (and i'm imagining they have not!). odds are they are not ripe and would be too astringent to use raw...oh well, on to discover another new fruit! thanks guys!

adelai--that's great that you were in valencia! i can't imagine getting fresh produce that cheap! i visited valencia last year...and the paella--wow was it good, but, i feel i can also easily give it up knowing i feel so much better eating raw :)