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24.01.2022 While poached quinces and crème fraiche are the foundation ingredients for this no-churn ice-cream, it’s the flavouring elements that lift this simple dessert treat into gourmet-level deliciousness. Dried rose petals, rosewater and ground cardamom harmonise in a way that draws on ancient Persian influences to create a moreish and unexpectedly distinctive flavour sensation. It took me by surprise. Sublime. Enchanting. Exotic. Addictive. My first-ever batch of this blush-pin...k perfumed ice-cream is pictured with freshly-picked blooms of my favourite rose, an old-fashioned tea rose called Monsieur Tillier. I’ll offer my original recipe for this delicious gem in this year’s first edition of the Quince HQ newsletter that will be posted within the week. Watch this space!

24.01.2022 Birds of a feather flock together is a saying that aptly describes the summer days here. We have a flock of wild corellas visiting our large garden at dawn and dusk each day. They announce their presence with an ebbing and flowing, screeching assertiveness. At the moment they are feasting on an abundance of nut grass (aka. onion weed) but have clearly spotted one of our old quince trees that isn’t netted (you can just see it in the foreground of one of the pics). It’s ...been stripped of what was a bounty of young unripe fruits in less than a week. An occasional abandoned fruit shows some signs of being eaten, but most lie untouched on the ground. It seems that the thrill for the birds is purely to munch on the stem stalks. Fruit drop is simply collateral damage. Then they move on to whatever takes their fancy. River Red Gum. Apples. Pyracantha ‘Firethorn’, adorned with orange berries at the moment. Crab apples. Rosehips. So the take-home-message is: net your fruiting trees early in summer if you’d like a quince harvest in Autumn.

22.01.2022 Are you the cat’s meow? Or perhaps the bee’s knees? Both refer to something being excellent, or high quality, or ‘the tops’! They are Americanisms that grew out of the 1920s penchant for nonsense, quirky sayings. And lo-and-behold, there is a Bee’s Knees cocktail from the same period, and it has a fascinating backstory. Since alcohol was prohibited in that decade, some folks used clever and creative ways to achieve flavour in their illicit drinks. Gin was a relatively e...asy drink to make by enterprising distillers, though it was potent and astringent in flavour. So, the solution to make it more palatable was to serve it in a cocktail with other ingredients that covered up the rough quality. I’ve just learnt that the Bee’s Knees is a classic cocktail made with gin, fresh lemon juice, honey and sugar syrup. And the quince take on this is a recipe I came across recently for a Pink Bee’s Knees, where the sugar syrup is replaced with poached quince syrup. Genius! I’ve chosen to use a soupcon of the limited edition Oliver Taranga’s Quince Gin. Both are the bee’s knees! For two fab cocktails you’ll need: 40 ml honey gently heated with 40ml water until smooth. Cool to room temperature. 80 ml gin 80 ml lemon juice (strained) 80 ml poached quince syrup (strained) Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake, shake, shake a lot! Serve in chilled cocktail glasses. Cheers!

20.01.2022 Now is the time to keep an eye out for the slimy, black larvae of Sawfly - commonly known as Pear and Cherry Slugs. Don’t be fooled by their small size. If left unchecked, these benign looking scoundrels will wreak quite a lot of damage on the leaves of quinces, cherries, hawthorns, medlars and pears. So if you’ve ever wondered why there are skeletonized leaves on your fruit trees; there’s your answer. Thankfully, they don’t seem to touch the fruit. So how do you stop them in... their tracks? I use an organic bio-insecticide product that is sprayed liberally on the top and underside of leaves. Others gardeners have had success with plain old squishing, broadcasting powdered lime over the canopy (but make sure no rain is forecast), or spraying with a dish-washing liquid solution. You may need to repeat your chosen treatment in a week or two to be sure! See more

17.01.2022 Quince HQ Newsletter - November 2020 - https://mailchi.mp//quince-hq-newsletter-november2020-1332 At Quince HQ we love the quirky intersections between quinces, history, recipes, art and life in general. Here’s a very current one; the contemporary face mask pictured stems from a digital copy of a 1737 artwork originally painted by Elizabeth Blackwell in A Curious Herbal. In this month’s Quince HQ newsletter we explore a few more unusual connections.

12.01.2022 The fallen leaves of autumn revealed this little gem today. Hidden away in the row of Van Deman quince trees. The nest is deceptively small. No more than about 4-5cms across. What a joy!

11.01.2022 Thank you to everyone who attended our inaugural ‘Still Water Quince Fair’ this weekend all 670 of you. Woohoo! While the weather was a little unpredictable and wet on Saturday, Sunday was a perfect Autumn day, and simply glorious. We loved that you embraced our park garden with its towering River Red Gums and deciduous trees; took the opportunity to take one of ten tours of the orchard; and supported all the fab stallholders. It was a joy to behold the looks of satisfactio...n and delight. An event like this has a community of other people behind it to make it successful. Our thanks to each and every stallholder: Brian & Benedetta from Wagner’s Rose Nursery; Sally, Jamie and Peter from The Side Project; Jill from The Diggers Club (in Adelaide); Simon and the team from Pipers of Penola; Mark and Lynn from Metro Bakery and Café; Bruce from Forged Art (in Padthaway); Monica and Brett from Carousel Flowers Nursery; and Sue and Rachel from Bellwether Wines. Thank you so much. A big thanks to the members of the Terra Rossa CWA Branch (Penola) who welcomed, registered, and farewelled all our visitors. You did a champion job. Thank you Tim Heysen for two very informative presentations - in the dappled shade of a Plane Tree, about the beautiful ‘Still Life’ (c.1933) painting by Nora Heysen. A special thanks to our team of red-apron wearing volunteers and buddies: Rosalie, Alison, Anne, Leigh, Julie, Jill, Peter and Rob. And to Gail and Graham for your wonderful support behind-the scenes. We couldn’t have done it without all of you. Finally, our thanks to those in the Open Gardens SA team in Adelaide and the Limestone Coast: Virginia, Sonia, Di, Glenys, Barry, and Marianna. Cathy and Rick xx

11.01.2022 Quince HQ Newsletter - April 2021 - https://mailchi.mp//quince-hq-newsletter-april2021-13413130 Our Quince Fair is just around the corner, and we are expecting lots of visitors to our ‘Still Water’ farm property. Alas, our peacocks will be spooked by all the activity. They’re not good with crowds, so you won’t see them showing off like the one pictured. But, there will still be plenty to see, do and taste. In this month’s edition we give you an update, plus go back to basics with some quince cooking essentials.

10.01.2022 I always find opportunities to use quinces every day while they are in season not least because I have oodles and oodles of them! Last night we were on kitchen duty at the monthly community club dinner at Coonawarra, so I bought along a big tray of poached quince with marzipan crumble to add to the desserts on offer. This afternoon we invited our neighbours for drinks in the garden as we hadn’t caught up for ages, so out came the ubiquitous cheese platter with some quince... conserve. But I also opted to try a new recipe: deep-fried quince-stuffed green olives. The un-cooked stuffed olives are a tapas dish in their own right, but the cooked version is definitely the better of the two. Tasty bite-sized morsels. Here’s the deconstructed recipe: mash up some quince paste with a little olive oil and black pepper. Pipe into drained, pitted large green olives. Toss them in some beaten egg & milk, then roll them in some seasoned chickpea flour (gives a nutty flavour). Deep fry in some hot canola oil for 2-3 minutes. Leave to cool for another minute, and add a grind or two of pepper. Eat. Enjoy. Repeat.

08.01.2022 Quince HQ Newsletter - December 2020 - https://mailchi.mp//quince-hq-newsletter-december2020-1333 Of all the challenges this year has thrown at us, it has become even more special to be able to gather around a table, eat, drink and be merry with loved ones, and to raise a glass to the year ahead. My heart-felt thanks to each and every one of you who have continued to support Quince HQ over what has been the longest of launch phases. Merry Christmas to you all.

07.01.2022 I hadn't realised that wrapping bands were are "thing" until I started researching packaging options earlier this year. I landed on the one pictured for Quince HQ ... because I liked it's distinctly European folkloric vibe, and it reminded me of the Twelve Days of Christmas carol. That carol is known as a cumulative song that reflects on an increasing number of gifts on each of the twelve days of Christmas. 'On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me; A partridg...e in a pear tree' are the lyrics of the first verse ... and my favourite. Why? Because when I see imagery associated with it (and it's a popular one for greeting cards) I immediately convert it to ... 'On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me; A peacock in a quince tree' because here at Quince HQ our peacocks do occasionally spend time in the quince orchard. True story! See more

04.01.2022 The voluptuous, sensual, imperfect form of quinces makes them popular still life subjects for artworks and creative installations. So, it was no surprise to see them at Bellwethwer Wines during this weekend’s big commitment to supporting the annual Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival. Fruits featured in table decorations for the very fabulous C.W. Stoneking and Kellie Menhennett performances while we dined on a delicious house-made platter of duck rillette, quince paste, pickle...d fennel and slices of various sourdough breads. Heaven. The fruits were carefully placed amongst the colourful bowls, plates and homewares crafted by local artist Jo Edwards in her first exhibition titled ‘Claysolation’. And for a real treat check out the fabulous and finely observed encaustic paintings by Cate Bell in her exhibition titled ‘Flora and Fauna’. Such a joy on so many levels.

04.01.2022 There’s something quite endearing about discovering a vintage cookbook like this little gem (pictured), found in a cupboard today in a crumbling storage shed at home, where it has been for at least 40 years. It’s not just the old recipes, which speak to me of the first half of the 20th century, or the quirkiness of three recipes on the same page for Tomato and Quince Jam that all bear the same list of three essential ingredients ... for a ‘rich, delicious substitute for rasp...berry jam’. Nor is it the patina of age, or the modest production standards where pages are simply stapled together, printed in black-and-white, and ornamented with an occasional advertisement. It’s uncovering a provenance that makes this cookery book extra special, thanks to a hand-written notation on the front cover that simply reads ‘M. D. S Kidman from Jean Schwartz’. Those are the initials of my husband’s late step-grandmother, before she married in the 1950s. Wow! What do you love about a favourite vintage cookbook?

04.01.2022 Right now, across Australia, quinces are likely to be covered in a distinctive fine down. While the fuzz will eventually wear off over the coming months, this is not the case for several varieties of our favourite pome fruit. Come Autumn, some quinces will be perfectly golden, aromatically ripe and still adorned with some fuzz. This little De Bourgeaut quince (that I photographed this morning) will eventually morph into a classic golden pear-shaped quince with beautiful velvety-smooth skin by about late April. Oh, the magic of growing quinces!

03.01.2022 Quince HQ Newsletter - May 2021 - https://mailchi.mp/39316301bfef/quince-hq-newsletter-may2021 Quinces are known as kwepers in South Africa. The Afrikaans cuisine is a rich, vibrant and intriguing one that has piqued my curiosity given the array of quince-related food traditions, practices and family-based recipes. Our favourite pome fruit is used in a tasty sambal, konfyt preserves, a paste flavoured with sherry and butter, a sago dessert, and in jelly to accompany pot-roasted venison, among so much more. Enjoy!

03.01.2022 Cinnamon scrolls might have been the iso baked treat for 2020, but these sweet little filled-pastry scolls deserve just as much love and affection. They’re called rugelachs (pronounced ROO-ge-lahks), and it seems the traditional Polish versions are made with yeast, while the North American versions, like the ones I’ve made, are not. They remind me of a croissant, but what sets them apart is that the pastry is made in a food processor with equal quantities of butter and cream ...cheese; producing a silky-smooth dough that is a delight to work with. I’ve used a recipe by Yotem Ottolenghi that he’s named ‘Not-Quite-Bonnie’s Rugelach’ because it’s a riff on his mother’s memorable rugelachs that he and his brother grew up with, except he’s replaced her classic apricot jam and pecan filling with quince paste, brown sugar and chopped walnuts. An inspired alternative. Makes 24, serves 2-3. That’s how delicious they are!

02.01.2022 Our ‘Still Water’ garden is open this Anzac Day weekend, 24 & 25 April, with our first Quince Fair. It’s an Open Gardens SA event, with lots more detail at https://www.opengardensa.org.au/current-season/details//372 Come prepared to pay cash for a few elements including the entrance fee; pop on some comfy walking shoes as it’s a big park garden, and maybe bring an umbrella just in case. The weather forecast is looking pretty good. We’re very excited to be joined by our t...errific regional partners, so come and support them too. Thanks so much to Bellwether Wines, Carousel Flowers Nursery, Forged Art, Metro Bakery and Café, Pipers of Penola, The Diggers Club (from Adelaide), The Terra Rossa CWA Branch (Penola), The Side Project, and Wagner’s Rose Nursery ... and our friend Tim Heysen. We are also very grateful to our team of volunteers (aka. our friends) who are going to help us all have a positive time. We look forward to seeing you very soon. Cathy and Rick

01.01.2022 Quince fruit is a key ingredient in several traditional soups from Armenia and Turkey. The concept of quinces in a soup was something I have wanted to explore for some time. Today was the day! I recalled a recipe from the eponymously-named Lake House (Hardie Grant Books, 2006) cook book by restaurateur and champion of local, seasonal and Australian regional cuisines, Alla Wolf-Tasker. She expresses her deep love of quinces in a delicately conceived Honey panna cotta with qu...ince soup. She says that the ‘use of 10 quinces in this recipe makes an intensely flavoured [consommé] ‘soup’’. For my more rustic Roasted vegetable and quince soup (pictured), I combined red capsicums, brown onions, diced pumpkin, and some garlic cloves in a little good-quality olive oil, and roasted them in a moderate oven for 30 minutes. Then into a medium-sized stock pot with a couple of sliced carrots, for simmering in eight cups of (thawed) quince poaching liquid from this year’s crop of De Vranja quinces. Finally, the soup was revealed after pureeing with a good-old-fashioned, but ever-so-reliable, food mill (I’m a Slow Food advocate). I think the idea of a quince ‘stock’ worked; adding a subtle, aromatic dimension that paired well with the vegetables. Definitely worth exploring.