h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Two years ago, the old quince tree in the garden of our French house broke. Two big branches broke off, leaving only the central trunk. I wasn't expecting any more quinces. However, when we went to France in September, we found that the quince tree was full of big quinces. There were masses of apples too, mainly in the grass around the trees.

We rescued as many of the apples and quinces as we could and wondered what to do with them. I had a recipe for a pear chutney, which I reckoned could be used for apples too. My husband thought we could add quinces, provided they were softened a bit first. We messed around with the recipe, making a few substitutions, and made the chutney.

It didn't look that good, because my attempts to soften the quinces in advance made them fall to pieces. It tasted fine, though.I said it tasted like Christmas pudding but decided I couldn't explain that to our French neighbours! So here's the recipe.

Apple and Quince Chutney

60ml olive oil
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
200g sultanas
100g raisins
150g demerara sugar
400ml vinegar
100g root ginger, finely sliced
400g apples, cored and cut into wedges
400g quinces, peeled, cored and sliced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
a few cloves
Preparation method

1. Pre cook the quince slices, by simmering them gently in a pan with water until beginning to soften.
2. Heat a large saucepan with the oil, add the rosemary, sultanas, raisins and sugar and fry them until the fruit begins to caramelise.
3. Pour in the vinegar and boil on a high heat for three minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, then turn to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Because of the fruit, this chutney has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan, so stir it well and keep an eye on it. Don't let the apple and quince slices cook too much; they should keep their shape.
4. Spoon it into clean hot jars, filling them as full as you can, and seal while hot. Store in the fridge.

Sometimes you have to cut back a fruit tree to get a better crop. I won't be trying your recipe because I am useless at making jams and chutneys and things. What sort of colour does it come out? More browny or yellowy?

It's Q time for you as well as me!

That is an interesting recipe - I'm impressed by how you made it from the ingredients you had at your disposal so you didn't waste the bounty

Would you consider writing the recipe up for Peer Review? I think it would be well received as there's not much about Chutney in the Edited Guide A666047

This chutney comes out brown rather than yellow.

I could write it up for the Edited Guide, SashaQ, but I don't know how many people have quinces.

Quinces are not unpopular in garden centres and supermarkets in the UK, it seems http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/quince and it sounds like they do even better in France, so I'm sure quite a few Edited Guide readers will be interested

I've done some serious alphabetical travelling this evening!

From the Kingfisher blue flash to this delicious apple and quince chutney .

Via St James Park, London, watching the ducks (I used to do that!), Chislehurst, the ever changing London skyline, mushrooms and dodgy camomile tea, nature conservation, the Ouse (I always think of Virginia ) ..

... to this wonderful poetry ..

Between seedtime and harvest
starlight and dawning
comes poetry

What a rich and blessed and extraordinary alphabet is this life eh?

Thanks cc.