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Saturday, April 19, 2014

Q is for Quince



                   A-Z Challenge
             My theme is Herbs
             Q is for Quince

It appears that Q's for medical herbs
are in short supply.

Quince is the pear shaped fruit 
from the cydonia ablogata or
quince tree. 

The seeds are dried and used either 
ground or in the whole form. 

I have never used Quince for
medicine, most likely because
the Quince doesn't grow in my
neck of the woods but people
are reported to use it medically
for cancer treatment, canker 
sores, gum problems and for
sore throat.

48 comments:

  1. I remember the glorious ruby red colour of quince jelly made by so many women in the town where I grew up. At every find-raising there would be a table of jams and chutneys and quince jellies for sale. As a fruit, the quince isn't nice to eat, but the jelly is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. River
      That special jelly table sounds colorful. If it's so bitter, it mst need a lot of sugar.

      Delete
    2. I don't recall it being bitter, more dry and tasteless, the jelly is tart and wonderful.

      Delete
    3. River
      The jelly must be especially delish ...... that's what everyone says who has tasted itt.

      Delete
  2. My hubby and son or daughter eats them, i can't remember which one.
    I don't like them much but as River says the jelly is wonderful.
    Merle..................

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    Replies
    1. Merle
      I've never eaten one as they don't grow here and I've never seen any in the markets.

      Delete
  3. It's pretty amazing all of the things there are out there to cure ailments (and worse) naturally. Makes you wonder why some of the other stuff even had to be invented. We like to gunk our bodies up.

    Nice job on 'Q.' There's not a lot of anything that starts w/that letter that's easy to think up. :)

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    Replies
    1. Rosey
      You speak the truth. Why fill our bodies with synthetic chemicals but I understand that everyone is busy, busy and it's much easier to pop a chemical pill that someone tells one to take than investigate about the herb.
      About the letter Q.... True.... I guess that is why this is called a challenge, huh?

      Delete
    2. 'x' is even worse. Drat that letter on the Scrabble board. ;)

      Delete
  4. I've never eaten quince. My first exposure to them was from the Edward Lear poem, The Owl and the Pussycat. "They dined upon mince and slices of quince which they ate with a runcible spoon."

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    Replies
    1. Bish
      I recall that now too. The Owl and the Pussycat used to be a favorite with my kids.

      Delete
  5. I heard of them but have never eaten them. The seeds I'd give a go easily. Can't taste any worse than apricot seeds haha

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    Replies
    1. Pat
      I kinda like the apricot seeds.... not for a steady diet but I like that slightly bitter taste.

      Delete
  6. I spent years as a produce clerk. Nobody ever bought Quince

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    Replies
    1. Adam
      Do you mean you sold it in your store? I've never seen it in the markets around here.

      Delete
  7. I've never heard of Quince. Can you smoke it :) Just kidding.

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    Replies
    1. Rick
      I don't know why not..... it seems kids are smoking just about everything these days. Ha

      Delete
  8. I have never heard of quince. I will keep my eye open in the future...

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    Replies
    1. Robin
      I heard of it but I had to do a little more research on this Q letter.

      Delete
  9. My quince gives me tons of fruit each year. I make it into jam, and my family loves it. It's a thorny bush, so there's pain involved sometimes.

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    Replies
    1. C Lee
      You grow quince? You are the first person who has said they grow them. You must live in a very mild climate. Amazing.... thanks for the info about the thorns, etc. Most people are raving about the great tasting jam it makes.

      Delete
  10. Hi Manzanita .. my brother has a quince tree in his garden and asked my uncle and I what to do about the fruits .. I think you have to leave them go very very ripe - but I'm not sure we succeeded ...

    But the Edward Lear poem of the Owl and the Pussycat - must be so well known - which Bish quotes ... "and slices of quince" ... such a great evocative poem .. cheers Hilary

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    Replies
    1. Hilary
      Here is another quince tree in someone's yard. Just before your comment, Cheryl said she has one. Perhaps the fruit is not as bitter if you let it ripen on the tree.
      My kids used to love the Owl and the Pussycat poem.

      Delete
  11. Then of course I hadn't read Lee's comment above .. so we have an expert in our midst .. H

    Happy Easter too ..

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    Replies
    1. Hilary
      Yes, she can just go outside and pick the quince for her jelly.

      Delete
  12. Another one I've never heard of, happy easter

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    Replies
    1. Holy Ghost
      You are not alone. I had heard of it but never had any close contact with it.
      Happy Easter to you too

      Delete
  13. Quince's also make jolly nice jam! They grow quite prolifically in my part of NZ.

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    Replies
    1. Wendy
      I've been trying to narrow down where the quince grows. Thanks for that info. Everyone gives rave testimonials to the jam.

      Delete
  14. cydonia ablogata...the words sound like it should be a song in a musical about unrequited love.

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    Replies
    1. Susiee
      Hahaha I've noticed that both of us are always looking for songs or names of songs. Maybe we should collaborate and write some of our own. Ha

      Delete
  15. Sad to say I have not heard of this. I hope you are enjoying your weekend..

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    Replies
    1. Truedess
      Thank you. I haven't heard much about this either but one has to really scramble for some letters and Q happens to be one of them. Haha

      Delete
  16. For some reason, Quince sounds familiar. Does it grow in Mecico? I might have seen it when I was there a few years ago.

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  17. Terry
    It most likely does as it seems to need a lot warmer climate than yours or mine. The frigid lands we live in. Ha

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  18. That is a new one to me also. I think I took my mother's word that it didn't taste good so I never tried the fruit. Good to now the seed has medicinal values.

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    Replies
    1. Patti
      They probably grow in your area. Maybe they don't taste very good but I hear people raving over the jams and jellies. Only trouble, you would have to add so much sugar.

      Delete
  19. I'm here to wish you a Happy Easter. :)

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  20. I didn't know Quince has these special healing features, only that it is delightful stewed with meat and in confitures. I like when it's both healthy & tasty! Happy Easter, dear Manzi! :)

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    Replies
    1. Zara
      So you are very familiar with Quince. You'll have to teach me how you stew it with meat. I only like to eat food that is doing it's job in making me healthy. That probably takes in "all" organic food, now that I think about it.

      Delete
    2. Ok, i'll keep it in mind! :)

      Delete
  21. Quince grows here--in fact, in my daughter's back yard. It is a resilient tree. The fruit has a unique but pleasant taste. Now I will see the seeds.

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    Replies
    1. Susan
      Interesting. I wonder if it can winter in the cold states. I've never seen any here or even seen it in the markets.

      Delete
  22. I'm a bit late but.... Happy Easter.

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    Replies
    1. Blue Grumpster
      Same to you.... hope it was a peaceful day filled with family love.

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    2. Much to my surprise... it was. The company was great, the food too. Not too much, nothing fancy, but very enjoyable.

      Delete
  23. Canker sores and that other stuff I know about, but I've never heard of Quince.

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