When the quinces turn golden in my parents garden then we are in the middle of autumn. And our flat is filled with the rich perfume of the fruits as I tend to place them strategically in living room and kitchen to enjoy my favourite autumn flavour as much as possible.
Qunices are rich on pektin so they are perfect for jelly making. I use them with peel and core and although add some green ones to the batch, as these are especially high on pektin. Preparing the fruits is then quite easy as they just have to cut into pieces. Then they are cooked with water until tender. The longer you cook them, the deeper the colour will become, ranging from amber to red. For an extra plus I always add some vanilla , as it underlines so nicely the delicate quince flavour.
This year is a good year for elderflowers and due to the warm weather of the last weeks they are flowering very early.