Discovering Quince in our old back yard…

Nearly two years ago, my husband Barry and I fell in love with the back yard of a sad little home that had sat for sale and seemingly unwanted for years. The owners had intended the home as a summer residence, but zoning regulations had prohibited them from moving and redesigning the existing home.  The previous owners to them had lived in the home for generations.

Anyway, back to the back yard. Along with lots of room for our grandkids to run and play and a lovely harbor view, the yard’s dilapidated grapevine was what attracted Barry’s attention… a grapevine much like the ones he remembered as a child, growing up in Portuguese neighborhoods, kept pruned and lush and fruit-laden by people who cared about grapes and grapevines and who knew how to nurture them; and sat beneath them with a cold beer or good wine, lemonade or iced tea and great company.

That same day, Barry and I put an offer on the yard with a home and moved into our very old “new” home in May 2012.  We set about making our home liveable (every floor, wall, closet, shelf and trim surface needed immediate attention) while we decided what major renovations to take on first.  We’re still in the deciding mode, knowing we need a few walls knocked down to enlarge/renovate the kitchen, and both bathrooms need demolishing major updates.

But our back yard? Neighbors have filled us in that the long-time previous owners were lovers of the land… amateur gardeners with a flair and talent and love for their land, and most definitely had green thumbs.

It’s this love that has surprised us each season with gorgeous Irises, Japanese Poppies, Hydrangeas, Roses of Sharon, Tea Roses, Day Lilies, Holly Berries and so much more.  And the grapevine? Our son-in-law Brian re-built the grapevine and brought in a guy who knows grapevines.  This is today’s beauty…

But what came as a BIG surprise is the little orchard of 3 trees that we originally thought were Apple Trees.

But, no.

These little beauties are Quince Trees, and this is our little Quince orchard of 3 trees…

This year the Quince bounty is… well, abundant!

You must look rather closely to find the little fruit who seem to play hide-and-seek with the green leaves and blue summer sky…

So, just exactly what is a Quince and what can we make with them?!

Ah, ha!  I’ve checked out a few sources and nicely settled on Simply Recipes, this one featuring Quince.  What I love about this site is that it perfectly describes our little Quince Trees –

Quinces used to be more popular than they are today; you often can find an odd small quince tree growing in the yard of an old house. But people don’t can as much as they used to and unless you’ve actually had something made with quince, you don’t know what you’re missing. Here are some ideas for what you can make with them:

And it goes on to give us Quince recipes for jellies/jams, paste, cake, tarte, compote and more.

We’re looking forward to the Quince harvest and some cookin’ with our grandkids!

Just another lovely surprise from the old yard and home that captured our hearts and continues to gift us with a whole lot of wonderful.