Quietly Quality Quince
My Mum has a quince tree in her garden that just will not stop growing fruit, so every time I or anyone goes to see her at the moment, they end up leaving with a paper bag full of super-massive, heavy quinces. Now that I’ve gone and written the word there, I have to admit that yes, the kind of person I am, I have already had the debate with multiple people about what the plural of quince should be. Is it quinces or just quince?! Answers on a postcard please.
Before I studied Ayurveda, I used to love eating cheese with quince cheese, where quince is made into a stiff jelly that can be cut into slices and paired with a nice cracker and a bit of brie or whatever. However, I now never eat fruit with anything other than fruit, so that’s not going to happen! Quince does need transforming though, as it has very bitter and astringent qualities which aren’t particularly tasty in its raw form which is also pretty hard. However, when it is cooked, quince- which looks like a cross between an apple and a pear- transforms into a sweet, fragrant food with that slightly gritty texture that you sometimes find in pears. I was thinking about making a jelly or compote or something along those lines with my first haul of quinces, but in the end I decided to stew them as I would cooking apples. I got the girls to help me peel them (that kept them occupied for a while!) and then chopped them, popped them in the pan with a little water and then added cinnamon, nutmeg and some brown sugar. It turned out to be absolutely delicious! That perfect level of sweet and sour, and actually in Ayurveda that’s the kind of taste we are looking for in Autumn. We need the sweetness and warmth as the temperature cools, the nights draw in and we start to see our breath as we leave the house in the morning. However, some of us with Pitta dominance or a Pitta imbalance may still be dealing with inflammation from the heat of the Summer, whether that takes the form of IBS, skin redness in all of its forms, or exhaustion from looking after children over the long Summer holidays (hah!).
What else do we know about quinces? Well, they are good for strengthening the immune system and fighting infections- so important at this time of year, especially if you have a household with children in it! As mentioned before, they have anti-inflammatory qualities which can help seasonal inflammation but also more long-term conditions such as arthritis, gastro-intestinal disorders, ulcers and so on. Because they are not super-sweet, they are good for those with diabetes, and (if you know me then you know this is my favourite!) they support digestion. Quince fibre binds to cholesterol, helping its removal from the body, along with other more mucus-y nasties from the gut that cause coughs, colds, sore throat and other respiratory issues. So, if you’re looking for a nice way to start your mornings, a bowl of warm stewed quince with cinnamon and nutmeg, maybe even a little bit of clove too will not only fill you up and get your bowels moving at the same time, but will also help with managing your weight and warding off coughs and colds.
Always a student of womens’ health, it is interesting to me that quince seeds have been used for millenia to increase female fertility as well as manage acid reflux and pregnancy nausea. However, the seeds also contain an extremely small amount of cyanide, so the dosage is definitely one large quince per day as opposed to an entire bag!