It's time to stroll through the garden and pick some nature treats.
Acorns with their precious little caps plunk to the ground.
Pumpkins still growing on the vine.
Red Berries, like jewels, droop from pyracantha.
Slabs of clay and soldering tools fill the studio.
Golden orbs hang out, ready to pick, on sunny warm breaks.
It's quince picking time.
I love quince.
I'll tell you about our tree.
Does anyone really care about someone else's tree?
This is the part where your friend is talking over tea, and you zone her out and don't remember what she said right?? hahaha! You are looking at her and nodding, but you are somewhere else 🙂
Anyway, here is the tale.
It's about as tall as me and growing, and it is a volunteer.
Actually, about 50 years ago there lived a pear tree in this same spot.
In fact, our neighborhood was mostly orchards of all kinds of fruit trees.
Until a big disease/bugs came through before I was around, the kind that get inside the trunk and branches, and killed off mostly everything.
Luckily on our property we have a good peach tree and a huge apricot tree that we work to keep alive (the same tree eating bugs want to kill it), amongst other fruits and nuts. The apricot tree is about 50 years old or more, and it took a turn for the better, knock on wood.
Anyhow, where was I?
Oh yes, so, where the quince was, there was a pear tree.
Now, the quince had been grafted with the pear tree, to strengthen the pear tree.
But, the pear tree had died long ago.
The year I came here, about 13 years ago now, a little tree sprung up where the pear tree had been ages before.
The little tree had the most stunning blooms, white flowers swirled with pink.
And then, over time we realized, it was quince.
It rose itself from the ashes.
And now, it's hearty and wide.
Growing taller everyday.
And gives us lots of fruit.
There ya go, a tale you probably didn't care to hear, haha!
But we have quince.
The fruit of the quince is quite dryish, and a bit more tart than a pear.
It's white when you cut into it.
But the magic is that, when you cook it, it transforms into the most honey sweet deliciousness.
And, it turns…..
Pink.
Pinkish amber.
So wonderful.
So we pick, and plot, and plan.
On warm autumn days.
When starfish turn up, it seems?
🙂
By the by, this was a week filled with cooking, as you already know.
I made all sorts of things.
Pea, baby broccoli, beet, french green bean salad with a sweet vinaigrette.
Chili and cornbread with fresh corn in it.
I make my chili with ground turkey instead of beef.
I am also trying out cheese here and there.
I am not a huge fan, but not as big a hater as I used to be.
We froze a bunch, which is nice to have for chilly nights.
I made a bunch of other things too.
Then…
I did some major quince picking.
But then…
I had an impromptu visitor, so I made Shirley Temples.
They had umbrellas in them, but it seems I lost mine.
I also whipped up a quick homemade pizza.
I got the dough to rise quick by setting my oven to about 150'F for the 30 minute rising time.
Here is my fail proof Pizza Dough recipe.
Have you tried it ever?
I didn't have toppings a plenty, so I opted for cheese.
I had a blend of Mexican shredded cheese, some Barilla marinara sauce (I think best in jar sauce, sweet and not overly tart), and some fresh mozzarella that I sliced and generously placed all around.
The mozzarella really did the trick.
For a non cheese lover, this pizza was heaven.
The next day I made another one with the left over cheese and sauce for Mister Lovee, but I used all wheat flour. It was pretty good too. I also make my pizza with oat flour sometimes, which I grind in my food processor from store bought oats.
Anyhow, it was fun.
But now, now we have major treasure picking.
Acorns in droves, they steal my heart.
Elf hats!
In fact, I filled my robe pocket with acorns the other evening, and then forgot about them. It was chilly so I left my robe on, and slept with them in my pocket all night.
Now who sleeps with acorns in their pocket?
Maybe 10 year old little boys, and this grown girl 🙂
Sooooo.
Now it's quince time.
I usually make jam or pie.
But I ask you……
If you had a bunch of quince, what would you make???
I'd like to change it up a little.
Maybe try something new?
Got any quince tips for me???
I am sitting here with oodles of quince, and no place to go.
Haha!
I suppose I should go check on my soldering tools.
Don't want to burn the joint down 😉
Looove, V
ps: Use of leftover wheat pizza for breakfast –
Heat pizza (I used the toaster oven).
Some arugula and cherry tomatoes from the garden.
Toss veggies in my often made, invented years ago, vinaigrette.
Avocado, fresh eggs from down the bend….
Yumm.
It was gooood.
Quince – YUM! I love a thick Quince jam, almost like a paste and serving it with a cheese like Brie or Gorgonzola. Divine taste.
QUINCE! and ACORNS in my pocket SWEET DREAMS and a darling locket Made my day reading about Wonderful NATURE!! oxoxoox
I loved your quince tree story. ^-^ I think stories like that are what make a place special.
If I had an abundance of quince, I would make jam, pie, butter… and maybe try out making a fruit cheese (no actual cheese is involved… eek…) I also think that poaching them in mulled wine would be super tasty. I had a mulled pear a year or two ago and just about died & went to heaven. =D
So nice to come visit you this Sunday morning. My past week has been nutso! So taking a few quite minutes to listen to your quince tree story was just what I needed. I love your garden stories. And cooking stories. And painting/mess making/fur baby/stories. I just love them all. ^___^
I hope you’re having a wonderful day!
XOXO
Annalee
oooooo, maybe I will just do the jam again, you are right!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/10/2013 10:14:10 A.M. US Mountain Standard Tim,
Cinda!! xoxooxx
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/10/2013 10:18:34 A.M. US Mountain Standard Tim,
Annaleeeeeeeee!! You are a dear girl! I tell ya!! xoxo
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/10/2013 11:36:42 A.M. US Mountain Standard Tim,
I’d still love to know what a quince tastes like. I had never even heard of them until last year when you mentioned it.
I still think your acorns look cool. They are different from ours.
I wonder if the squirrels did a taste test, would they taste the same???
Miss Laura, I read online that the darker the acorn the sweeter. I
also read that all acorns are edible in the US, but I am still afraid to taste
mine. Although I want to. But after seeing what bad mushrooms do to
people, I cant even imagine trying something I am not 100% sure will not kill
me or send me to the hospital 🙂
Anyhow, these are supposedly fairly sweet and less better than red
ones. I might bite the bullet and try one though ;0)
OKay so, quince in their raw state are quite dry, almost shockingly dry,
like dry wine. Not dry as in doesnt have moisture, but this other odd
dryness, which takes your mouth moisture. They are tart and sweet and
dry. The flavor is a bit like a tart apple pear 🙂 but not as moist.
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/10/2013 12:35:48 P.M. US Mountain Standard Tim,
Such lovely yummy goodies you create. My mouth is watering just looking..
Hope you had an awesome week end. Thank You.
Oh your garden gives you such treasures!! I just love Quince jam, and Misha/DawaiOser’s comment makes me want to have it with some Brie RIGHT NOW!
Any tale you tell about your garden, or anything else, is magical – no glazed eyes here!
Now I’m going to have to do what I always do when you talk about the food you’ve made. Print the whole post with pictures so I can try to replicate it all. That breakfast pizza looks divine! I’m making the salad tomorrow – thanks for all your inspiration.
My dear Vanessa, I liked your story about the quince tree because almost nobody has quince trees in his garden today. Bu in my mother’s garden there is a very old – far more than fifty years old – quince tree. This year my younger sister helped her picking them because it had a lot of fruit. My mother always makes quince jelly which all of her four grandchildren love so much. And she makes quince bread. That’s actually not a bread but a kind of paste which only my stepfather really likes because it reminds him of his childhood when this was one of the only sweets he got. In my cooking class two weeks ago we made Marroccan tajine with sweet potatoes, spinach, dried apricots and one sliced quince. And I can tell you the dry quince was the perfect addition to the mealy taste of the sweet potatoes. Delicious! So I think it could be a good addition to pumpkin stews also. Must experiment with that mixture next time. And my last suggestion is what I read in a magazine some time ago: Slice your quince in pieces. Put it in a glass with one cinnamon stick. Pour boiling water over it and allow to infuse for some time. Then you can add lemon juice or some honey if you like it sweeter. I hope you like my suggestions and I’m looking forward to hearing from you if you tried them.
I’d never heard of quinces (is that correct or is it quince for the plural too) before! They look yummy and you seem to make delectable things out of most anything you grow. I don’t understand the hate for cheese Miss V! So salty and creamy and melty and gooey! Your chill and pizza look soooo scrumptious!
Vanessa do you have any pics of the blooms?? I think i may have a quince bush…do they grow in bushes or only trees?? Do you have a pic of one broken open so i can compare? Our bushes in front of our new house have produced some fruit and i have no idea what they are..? They have a greenish color to them like yours but i think these might be a little more oblong…….?
Ooooo, the quince, cinnamon stick + boiling water infusion sounds
divine!!!!!!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/10/2013 2:31:35 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Miss Jenn, well – I dont hate cheese. I just never really was fond
of it. But I dont like dairy milk either, so maybe that is it? I
love almond milk though,and that is all I drink, if and when I have
milk. But I do like sour cream. I like some yogurts, although they
give me a headache is they are not real and good.
In fact, I didnt like anything with that odd pucker in the jaw tartness
sharp cheese hasgrowing up, unless it was from lemons or tamarind – but
that wasnt so much a clenched jaw tartness to me 😉
But then I had some sweet stilton lemon cheese (about 16 tears ago), and it
turned me. I realized, there are some cheeses in life I might like.
Of course I like cream cheese in minor doses. But I am not a sharp cheddar
kind of girl. I do like brie, and a tiny bit of blue cheese in certain
salads is okay. Feta is sort of okay every now and then in the right
dish. I was just never one to order the cheese filled dish.
I just was never a cheese adorer – but its growing on me in my old
age. I am also starting to grow a tiny love for mustard and pickles.
Which I always detested. So, my palate is slowly growing into acceptance
😉
I hope my response to you via email does not remove all my punctuation
marks, as it normally does, so odd ;))
Deb, send me a pic if you have one, and I will tell you what the fruit
is. They are trees for sure, with beautifully curvy branches and
trunk. The flowers are white with a tiny pink swirl. They bloom in
spring when the other fruit trees do. I will try to find you a pic
😉
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/10/2013 3:49:47 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Strange, I don’t think I have ever had quince! Hmm maybe I should try it sometime….well off to make some pumpkin soup!
I just made a pumpkin rice dish :)))
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/10/2013 6:00:22 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
I will take a pic of them tomorrow…..they sorta kinda look like what you are showing but this is a silvery gray leafed shrub and the blooms remind me of fushia of all things……i don’t have anymore blooms but i can show you some of the fruit….Hubby broke one open fairly easily with his fingers. We didn’t taste it but it smelled sweet….so i’m thinking it might be edible……so weird… Hugs! deb
Vanessa….have you seen this site, notquitenigella.com I just happened onto it tonight.
I think you would love it. She has a recipe for beef stew with quince.
Your breakfast pizza with egg looks divine…
I love the yummies in both your last posts – and the pictures make everything look divine. You are truly a talented photographer.
I’ve never had quince but I’m sure anything you make with it will be delicious! You have such a magic garden!
love & blessings
~*~
Hi Vanessa….notquitenigella.com is a fabulous blog I happened onto….she has a recipe for quince beef stew ~ everyone raved about it (who knew? a savory quince dish)
The bowl of quince on your provencal tablecloth is oil painting worthy.
p.s. there are maple pumpkin baked donuts on there too! it is a beautiful site & she has a cookbook..,
Ahhhhh, I just love visiting here – never fails to lift my spirits! Must do it more often! 🖤
Ooooo, I will check it out for sure. I love adding tart fruit to
savory dishes. Like the cherries on the pork loin. I am soooo
excited, danka dear you!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/11/2013 11:36:38 P.M. US Mountain Standard Tim,
There are over 650 different kinds of recognized cheeses in the world.
(And more that are private blends.)
I am sure we can find a dozen or so you will be craving after you have tasted them!
And cheese chocolates can be wonderful.
(The ones my friend’s family made years ago.)
Cheesehead and proud of it!
Hahahahaaaa!! Well, I love to look at cheese, and I certainly
appreciate the making of it.
I love cheese shops too 🙂
I am sure too, we can find a few for me to adore ;))
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/12/2013 2:32:17 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Now you have done it. I am starving for all the food you are sharing.
Love hearing about your old trees and quince. How I wish I had such
a garden of delights. We have a dark cherry tree that wants to die and
is very old, we are trying to save it. So I can perfectly understand you
desire to save these old fruit trees.
Quickly stopping by to say you give me a warm and cozy November feeling Miss V. Loving ALL your Info about your trees!!! I wish to jump into every picture and visit you and the boys in the gardens and kitchen!!!<3 Keep enjoying your November and watch out for falling gourds and pumpkins! Yikes!!! I too have guests stopping in and for a weeks visit and I have ever sooo much to do! I'm feeling like the White Rabbit!;)
You are magical. What else can I say? 🙂 You can tell any story you want, and I will be all ears!! 🙂
I can’t believe it, but I don’t think I’ve ever tasted quince….I know….unbelievable. You have inspired me once again…I will make it a point to try some quince jam this week.
And the pizza…the chili…yum!
Acorns in pockets is nothing strange to me…when we left to emigrate to the U.S…..(I was almost 7)….do you know what I smuggled in my pockets? Chestnuts….our city was a treasure trove of chestnut trees….gifts from nature are still priceless to me….
Love and blessings!!
xoxo,
– Irina
Ohhhhh!!! smuggling in chestnuts…. I LOVE it.. how sweet
really!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 11/13/2013 8:51:07 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,