Quince HQ

Quinces remain intriguing and flavoursome, even as we near the end of the 2026 season. My new favourite preserving method is to slowly cook quinces for 10 hours to make a divine-tasting, deeply flavoured fruit butter. And with America celebrating its 250th anniversary of their Independence Day, it seemed like a good idea to delve back into some American quince history and reimagine a classic 'apple pye' recipe into a delicious contemporary version with, you guessed it, quince butter. In this month's bumper issue, we explore:

Preserving the last of the quinces,
Distilled and non-distilled quince drinks
What's happening in the orchard + planting a bare-rooted quince tree,
Historic New England (American) quince preserves,
Apple butter muffins with Quince butter,
American varieties of quinces, and
My, my, it's an American pie recipe with a quince twist.

'People have always preserved because they needed to; it was about survival. But the reason we still bother to do it is that the end product tastes so good." Diana Henry, British food writer.

Cathy x

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When summer slips away and the leaves begin to fall, quinces are readying their magic powers

It’s a fruit with personality: voluptuous, sensual, golden, fragrant, sublimely aromatic, and oh so versatile. It’s true that they aren’t much fun to eat raw … but the wow factor comes during cooking: Quince + sweetener + heat + time = heaven on a spoon. Pure alchemy.

Though related to apples and pears - which you can tell by their shape - they are botanically different. Their fancy name is Cydonia oblonga; one that shouts back to ancient Greece where the very best quinces in the world were grown in Kydonia, on the island of Crete.

All 16 known quince varieties currently in Australia are growing in the Quince HQ orchard.

Quince HQ

June 2026 NEWS

At Quince HQ we want to inspire a sense of wonder, curiosity and excitement about quinces; a really old fruit that is being rediscovered … and loved again. And there really is so much to love!

You can delve into a wondrous quince-inspired world full of stories of love, lust, legend, and traditions; be tempted by fascinating and every-day recipes; be enchanted by artworks and poetic musings through the ages; or even be enthused to grow a tree. Be prepared for something special.

Quince isn’t just a fruit

… it’s an experience.

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Varieties

There was a time, in the early 1900s, when there were 40 varieties known to be growing across Australia.

Enquiries

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