3 Signs Your Quince Fruit is Ripe for Harvest
Quince trees are unlikely treasures in a U.S. garden! Their fruit is not available at the grocery store, and growing them is the best way to try them. The trees require care similar to that of apples and pears. Learn how to tell if this rare fruit is ripe for harvesting alongside seasoned grower Jerad Bryant.
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Ever heard of quince? No, not flowering quince, but quince fruit! Flowering quince is a thorny shrub with pink flowers, while quince trees are large deciduous trees that bear fruit.
Quinces are delicious, nutritious, and tart. They’re perfect for making jams and preserves. They’re incredibly fragrant as they ripen, and the tree’s flowers are gorgeous in the springtime. In the winter, the leaves fall to reveal twisted and gnarled branches that are highly ornamental.
With all-season interest, these trees aren’t just for growing fruit. They provide beauty, color, and food in the home garden. After flowering in the spring, they develop quinces during the warm months. Learn how to see if quince fruit is ripe for the harvest as summer ends and fall begins.
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3 Signs of Ripe Quince Fruit
There are three simple means to see if quince fruit is ripe. Start by considering the seasons, then use both a color and a sniff test to determine the ripeness. Avoid squeezing a quince, as it bruises easily and can spoil in storage.
The Current Season
The first indicator isn’t the fruit, but the season. Quince trees bear fruit two to three years after planting, and they should grow a large crop all over their branches. You’ll have plenty of quinces to check.
The fruit ripens as summer shifts into fall. You’ll notice their skins changing color, and you’ll be able to smell the ripe aroma in the air. Summer is too early to harvest, and winter is too late.
If it’s autumn, it’s a good time to consider checking the quinces on your tree. Check them daily to ensure you catch them at peak ripeness.
Skin Changes Color
The next best indicator is the skin of each quince. It starts green in summer, and as the weather cools, the skin turns yellow. A fully ripe quince has yellow skin all over.
If there are any spots of green, the quince isn’t ripe yet. Leave it on the tree for a few more days to let it mature further. Don’t pick it green, as it won’t taste good, and it won’t ripen well after picking.
Move on to the sniff test once the skin turns all yellow. Your nose knows! It’ll be able to determine peak ripeness.
The Sniff Test
The final indicator is the sniff test. Harvest a ripe quince once its skin is yellow, and when you can smell it when you walk by. You won’t have to ruffle the tree! The aroma will waft by when you walk near the fruit.
Some growers like to leave a quince or two on their countertop to fill their home with the fragrance. It’s much sweeter than the taste of a raw quince. The smell is sweet while the flavor is tart.
Don’t use the sniff test alone, as partially ripe fruit can still smell sweet. Consider if it’s fall, look at the quince’s skin, and smell the fruit. If all three indicators are there, then it’s time to harvest!
How to Harvest
Harvesting is the best time of the year! You’ve spent all year nurturing your crops, and now they’re ready for you to enjoy. Put on some gloves, grab some pruners and a basket, and get ready to harvest your quince fruit.
Be Gentle
Quinces bruise easily, and they’ll spoil quickly if they have bruises on them. The spots turn soft and mushy, and the mushiness spreads in cold storage.
Use lots of care when harvesting to avoid bruising. Avoid letting the fruits fall to the ground, and be ready to catch them when you harvest. It might be a good idea to have a friend help you.
Quince trees generally stay between 10 and 25 feet tall. You may need a ladder to get to the fruit on the top of the canopy. Here, being careful is also important. Step carefully, and wear glasses to protect your eyes from falling dust and leaves.
Pick or Snip
There are two options when it comes to the harvest: snipping or hand-picking. Snipping is the preferred method, as you avoid bruising the fruit during the process. Hand-picking works best when the quinces are fully ripe and they easily fall off the tree.
When snipping, use one hand to hold the fruit. Then, use the other hand with pruners to snip the stem that holds the quince. Set the fruit in a basket, and move on to the next one.
To hand-pick, softly grasp a quince and pull on it gently. The fruit should detach from the tree. You may get a piece of the branch with it. Avoid removing the stem holding the fruit, as the resulting hole can let rot and diseases inside.
Storage
After picking, you’ll want to keep your quinces well-stored so you can enjoy them when you’d like to. There are a few options for storage, and many involve cooking the quinces to mellow their tartness. Most people don’t eat them fresh, as they’re too tart and astringent when they’re raw.
If you’d like to eat fresh quinces, try growing a special cultivar with sweet-tasting flesh. Go for ‘Pineapple’ for pineapple-like flavor, or try ‘Havran’ for its sweet white flesh.
In the Fridge
Ripe quinces keep well in the refrigerator for two months. Store them in the fruit drawer by themselves, or keep them in a container. You may also place them in a bag on a shelf in the fridge.
Avoid placing them near apples for longer than a day or two, as the apples release ethylene gas that promotes overripeness. Also, avoid putting them near other ethylene-releasing fruits, like peaches, pears, tomatoes, and peppers.
Keeping the quinces in a container promotes high humidity, which is necessary for optimum storage. Avoid setting the fruit on the shelf without a container, as the low humidity in the fridge will cause them to dry out and spoil.
Preserved
Preserving your harvest may be the best solution. It allows you to keep the quinces for longer so you can taste them year-round. Common preservation methods include making jams, jellies, syrups, candies, and marmalades.
Preserving is an excellent thing to do in the fall, as there are other fruits and vegetables ripening in full. Mix quinces with apples, pears, and peppers for unique jams and jellies. Or, slip some quince flesh into a syrup to make it thicker and tarter.
To preserve, you’ll need mason jars, metal sealing lids, and a water-bath or pressure canner. Canning seals the jars and kills microbes to make your harvest shelf-stable. Follow guidelines for safe canning, and maintain a clean kitchen to avoid contamination.
Key Takeaways
- Quinces are easy-growing and simple to harvest. They’re superb for home gardens.
- Quinces are ripe for harvest when they’re skin is yellow during autumn, and when they give off a sweet aroma.
- Store quinces in the fridge for two months, or preserve them to keep them for a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can you harvest quince?
Do so in the fall, when the days are short and temperatures are cool.
What happens if you eat a quince raw?
Your mouth will pucker up, and you’ll spit it out. No joke! It’s better to cook quinces before enjoying them, unless you’re growing a sweet-tasting variety.
Do I need to peel a quince?
No, you do not. You may if you’d like to, but the skin is edible like the flesh.
