Jam, with a side of nonsense

Having revisited Edward Lear's poem, 'The Owl and the Pussycat', I was inspired to buy a bag full of quinces on a recent shopping trip. Dining on quince seemed like quite a sweet thing to do...

"They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon."

Unfortunately, the only variety of quince that I have found in Australia is rather inedible raw - too hard and sour - so I use it to make jam.

I started out with a Tessa Kiros recipe (from her book 'Apples for Jam') and made a couple of changes. At mid-August, I believe we are at the end of the quince season, so snap to it if you're interested...

You will need...
3 cups caster sugar
4 quinces
2 apples
1 lemon
a splash of vanilla essence
jars (of any shape or size) to store the jam in

The how-to...

1. Rinse the quince, apples and lemon. The quince skin will probably be a little sticky, and covered in a grey-ish fuzz. Scrub this off.
2. Quarter the lemon, and then pop it into a large pot with the quince and apples (leave these whole for now). Tip in enough water to just cover everything and then heat it all on the stove top. You want to bring the water to boil, and then to let it all simmer for about 30 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and leave it all to soak overnight.
3. The next day, drain the fruit, and keep the liquid. Peel, core and dice the apples and quinces. Squeeze the quartered lemon , flesh and all, into the reserved liquid. Discard the lemon skin. Scoop out any seeds that have fallen into the liquid.
4. Put the diced fruit back into the pot. You need to add ten cups of liquid to this. Use the liquid that you reserved earlier, and then make the rest of the quantity up with water.
5. Add the sugar and a splash or two of vanilla - the vanilla adds a toffee taste to the jam - and turn on the heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Cool to a simmer, and let it bubble gently for about two and a half hours (if you like your jam runny, a little less, and if you like it really thick, a little more).
6. Whilst the jam does its thing, you can prepare the jars. Pre heat your oven to around 200 degrees. Soak them in hot water to remove any labels, and then wash the jars and their lids in hot soapy water. Rinse the soap off and then put the jars and lids into the pre heated oven on baking paper-lined trays. Leave them there for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until they are thoroughly dry. This process sterilises the jars.
7. Back to the jam. The quince will have turned a lovely ruby-red colour. Once it is at your desired consistency, turn the heat off. If you like a smooth jam, blend or mash the fruit, otherwise you can leave it as is.
8. Let it cool a little, then spoon it into the warm jars. Put the lids on the jars, then turn them over to create a seal. Unopened, this should last in the cupboard for 10 - 12 months. Once you have opened it, you will need to keep it in the fridge.


It's quite nice to make this using lots of small jars, because then you can give them away to friends. With a ribbon tied around the lid, these make quite a pretty present.

Quince jam for me, quince jam for you, quince jam we shall eat. If you like nonsense with your jam, then you can read 'The Owl and the Pussycat' (and gander at the illustrations) here. Find someone to dance on the sand with and then get your quince on!

P.S. For the Sydney-siders...if you like homemade jam but don't have time to make your own, try Paul Simon's 'Jam packed'. You can buy it from him at 324 Cleveland St, Surry Hills, or Google the name for online grocers who stock his lovely preserves.