Lip-licking Quince Jam

Did you know that the Mediterranean diet is considered the gold standard of diets? Some of the first studies noted Greece as one of the original sources of the diet, with the Cretan diet believed to be the purest form. Fruits and vegetables are sources of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, becoming the second major food group of the Mediterranean Nutrition Pyramid and Diet. Today Louis Hotels will teach you how to make Quince Jam!

The Ingredients you will need are:

• 6 cups (packed) of quince, rinsed, grated (discard cores, leave peel on), from about 1½kg of quince (about 5 quinces)
• 4 ¼ cups of water
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 1 tbs of lemon zest
• 4 cups of sugar
• A small bunch of apple geranium

Instructions:

Prepare the quince by washing and cutting them in half. Working around the core, grate the quince flesh (including the peel) with a cheese grater, until you have about 6 cups of grated quince.

Put water in a large, wide, thick-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the grated quince, lemon juice and lemon zest. Reduce the heat and simmer until the quince is soft, for about 10 minutes. Add the sugar and bring to a boil again. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat to medium-high. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the quince jam turns pink and thickens to the desired consistency, for about 30-50 minutes. Finally, add the geranium leaves. Remove them before you place the jam in the jars.

Ladle into hot, sterilized canning jars and seal. Before applying the lids, sterilize the lids by placing them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Wipe the rims of the jars clean before applying the lids.

There you go, folks! You’ve just made your very first Quince Jam!