We pluck quince: when and how to store the harvest
The attitude to quince among gardeners is ambiguous: some like its tart note and sourness, others prefer to use the fruits only in processed form, for example, for jam. However, everyone is convinced that quince is very useful for the body and is really tasty in its own way. Its bright yellow "shaggy" fruits have an incredible heady aroma and a whole bunch of useful properties. Most of them are found in well-ripened fruits, so the question of when to harvest quince in order to get ripe fruits is very relevant for summer residents.
Read also the article: quince jam - a simple recipe!
Harvest time
Quince - one of the fruit crops that ripens later than everyone else, therefore, its fruits are removed as the last ones. Some early varieties ripen in September, while others are ready for harvest almost in late autumn until early November.
But in most cases, the gardener still depends on the whims of nature: sometimes early frosts are forced to remove the unripe quince, because it is important to remove the crop from the branches before it freezes and loses its taste and storage properties. However, there is nothing wrong with the fact that the fruits are picked in a semi-ripe state, no, because they have the ability to "reach", that is, ripen, indoors.
If the warm autumn allows it, it is better to keep the quince on the tree to the last - so it will be more delicious. But if the fruits have completely turned yellow and began to crumble, this tree signals that the crop is already fully ripe and it is time to harvest it.
Where and how to store the fruits?
Late varieties of quince are used for storage - it is they who most often do not have time to fully ripen on the branches before frost. Such fruits are plucked, regardless of the presence of green spots on them, indicating that the quince is not yet ripe. They are not eaten immediately (very tart and sour), but are allowed to ripen within 20-30 days. Over this time:
- green spots disappear;
- the fruits become a beautiful yellow color;
- astringency leaves the taste.
Quince is stored well enough and for a long time. To do this, fruits are put in boxes, poured sawdust and taken out to the cellar. You can put them in a container with apples, but not pears - with the latter, the quince will ripen faster.
The lower the room temperature (but not minus values) and the humidity level, the longer the quince is stored.
Small stocks can be stacked on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator by rewinding each fruit with paper.