What’s in Season? Quince and Dates!

The aroma of QUINCE is unmistakable: sweet, fresh, floral, and complex.

This fruit shares membership in the rose family with the pear and the apple, and its short neck and flat bottom make it look like a bumpy, fuzzy pear. As quince ripens, its skin turns from greenish-yellow to the color of a golden delicious apple.

But don’t try to bite into a quince as you would a pear or apple! When ripe, quince flesh remains quite firm, and due to high tannins, it has a very astringent taste. That bitterness disappears during cooking as the fibrous yellow-white flesh turns soft and aromatic and takes on a delicate pink hue. High in natural pectin, quince is ideal for making into jellies or a quince paste like the popular Spanish condiment called membrillo.

Because quince bruises easily, you’ll want to store the fruits in a single layer (so they do not touch). Kept in a cool dark place, they should last for up to 6 weeks.

DATES are an ancient fruit that originated on the Arabian Peninsula and around parts of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. But when you find fresh dates at your Bay Area farmers’ market, you can be certain they were grown in California’s Coachella Valley, where growing conditions resemble those of the fruits’ origins.

With their papery thin skin and dense gooey texture, dates are unique among fresh fruits. They grow hanging in bunches of more than 200 fruits, and each bunch can weigh as much as 40 pounds.

Unripe, dates are green in color, but when the crop has dried on the tree and harvest begins—usually in August—the fruits will have taken on their characteristic colors of golden-brown, dark-brown, or nearly black, depending on variety. Each of the many varieties has a unique texture, flavor, and sugar content.

Californians favor the Medjool variety for its large size, soft texture, and rich caramel-like flavor. I also enjoy the medium-sized Deglet Noor with its smooth, translucent amber-colored skin and nutty flavor, and the chewy golden-colored Zahidi, a semi-dry date that’s sometimes referred to as the butter date. ♦

Veteran journalist and cookbook author Barbara Kobsar focuses on traditional home-cooked meals using local produce. Find her at the Walnut Creek and San Ramon farmers’ markets selling her Cottage Kitchen jams and jellies.

Artist Charmaine Koehler-Lodge grows most of her family’s food in their rural Pennsylvania garden.

 

Quince and Date Chutney

Next time you make a grilled cheese sandwich, try spreading this chutney on your bread before grilling. It also works well as part of a charcuterie board or on top of baked brie served with sliced baguette.

Makes about 4 cups

• 4 quince (about 2 pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 onion, peeled and diced small
• 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1½ cups apple cider vinegar
• 1½ cups light brown sugar
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon each ground cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, and cardamom
• 1 teaspoon minced serrano chile or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Then simmer, uncovered, for about an hour or until the chutney has thickened. Stir occasionally. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal. Cool and refrigerate for up to 6 weeks.