Bright pink, red or orange flowers in spring, green foliage in summer and yellow to orange fruits in autumn - ornamental quinces are very decorative, attract insects and birds to your garden and are even edible.

The ornamental quince is quite sour when raw, but very healthy

Is the ornamental quince suitable for the home garden?

The fast-growing Chinese ornamental quince is ideal for planting in a hedge, while the Japanese ornamental quince sets pretty accents in the front yard or in the border. It harmonises very well with other plants such as splendor spars or the rather delicate ornamental cherries. A sunny to partially shaded location is ideal. You can also grow a bonsai from the ornamental quince.

When are the fruits ripe?

The fruits of the ornamental quince ripen in autumn, but they remain very hard even then. Only a strong yellow or even reddish hue and, above all, an intense aromatic scent indicate the ripeness of the ornamental quince. Nevertheless, you don't have to hurry with the harvest, because the first frost will make the fruits softer and even more aromatic. However, they should then be harvested and processed quickly.

Are the fruits suitable for raw consumption?

The ornamental quinces are not suitable for raw consumption because they are very hard and also very sour. However, this does not disturb the birds in your garden. They like to take the quinces that are left on the tree as additional autumn or winter food. So feel free to leave some fruit hanging.

If you have already harvested your ornamental quince before the first frost, you can store the fruit for several weeks or even months. However, the fruits should be stored in a cool and dark place.

How to prepare the fruit

The ornamental quince is difficult to squeeze by hand, but the juice is a good substitute for lemon juice because it is similarly acidic and has a high vitamin C content. You can cook a very tasty jelly or jam from the ornamental quince. The slightly bitter taste is not for everyone. Therefore, a mixture with strawberries or other very sweet fruits might be recommended. The high pectin content makes jelly and jam nice and firm.

The essentials in brief:

  • Ornamental quinces are edible
  • very hard fruit
  • slightly softer only after the frost
  • very angry
  • slightly bitter
  • contains a lot of vitamin C
  • good for jam and jelly
  • high pectin content
  • hardly edible raw

tips

You should not eat your ornamental quince raw. It is better to cook a tasty jelly or a mixed jam with strawberries or other sweet fruits. By the way: our word jam comes from the Portuguese word "marmelo" for quince. There, too, they make a delicious jam from these fruits.

Category:

Indoor plants