Back in the autumn we wrote a short eulogy on quinces and we now have two trees (one per allotment plot thanks to the kindness of Father Christmas (with the help of Lynn’s sister Wendy). Here is one of them. It will be a little while before it is sturdy enough to bear fruit, but then growing your own is always an investment in the future.
New Quince Tree
Over the Christmas holidays we started to get to grips with the new allotment plot and having got the fencing up and the support built for the raspberry canes it is starting to come together. Fruit trees (2 apples, 2 pears and a quince) along with the raspberries provide the long-term backbone and once we’ve got a greenhouse up, it should be dry enough to start working on new beds for flowers and vegetables.
Looking South East
Looking North
Welcome to the new plot
With a few spare carrots floating around we thought about using some of them to make a carrot-based version of a Christmas cake. Lynn found a recipe on the internet, and after a brief shopping trip headed for the kitchen with the following result.
Christmas Cake 2014
250ml veg oil
350g carrots, grated
75g macadamia nuts, chopped
75g pecan nuts, chopped
170g mixed dried berries / cherries (I used lots of dried cranberries)
100g ready to eat dried figs, apricots and prunes, chopped (I left out the figs and used dates instead)
300g golden granulated sugar
300g self-raising flour
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2tsp baking powder
4 large eggs, beaten
Pre-heat oven to 160 deg fan. Grease and line a 20cm round loose bottomed cake tin
Combine oil, carrots, nuts fruit and sugar. Sift and add flour, spices and baking powder. Mix thoroughly. Add eggs and mix well
Put into cake tin and level. Bake for 2 – 2.25 hours until skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil after 1.25 hours to stop top browning too much.
As the prima donnas of summer start to give up the ghost it is time for the sturdy citizens of autumn to come to the fore and prime amongst these are the carrots and parsnips. Tender little summer carrots are all very well, but at this time of year nice chunky ones evoke thoughts of casseroles and soups to warm the soul as the nights draw in.
Roots 12 Oct 2014
Mark has been lucky enough to be working in a garden with a mature quince tree. As well as having gorgeous spring time blossom, it is an abundant cropper. As most cooks know, quinces can’t be eaten raw, but poached they turn into a delicious fruit that is a gorgeous deep orange that evokes late evening sunshine. Making them into a jelly has an equally stunning transformation as a scummy yellow liquid, changes into a beautiful clear ruby red jelly.
Quince flowers 30 Apr 2014
Quince Tree 24 Sep 2014
A quince tree is now on our list for Father Christmas.
