Delicious Quince Juice Recipe

There’s a quince tree in my yard. It was planted long before I arrived, and now in the fall the fruit is beautifully full and yellow and blemish-free without pesticides.

Raw quince is NOT tasty. Cooked is a different story. As a meat sauce or jam, it’s an old world delight! So why this juice recipe using a bitter raw fruit? Two reasons. First, I like the challenge of creating a great tasting juice out of impossible foods. I did it with wheatgrass and garlic so maybe I can do it with quince! Second, this is a great opportunity to wave the flag about the importance of more raw food in our diet. Nutrients in raw fruit and veggies are not found anywhere else – not in the best supplements, not in anything bottled or canned, not even in the best home cooked meal. It’s estimated that as much as 100% of enzymes and 50% of phytonutrients are lost when we cook, process or store fresh food.

Ok I made my point. So now let’s talk about quince. Native to Asia Minor, quince was once a popular fruit but has taken a backseat in modern times. Considered too hard and tart to eat raw, but when cooking, quince turns red, softens and sweetens with a floral fruity aroma. It is believed that the quince, not the apple, was the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden. Greek mythology associates the quince with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and many believe that the golden apple given to her by Paris was a quince. Another thing quince has going for it is lots of natural pectin, the compound in some fruits that thicken jams and jellies.

A soft quince is a rotten quince, so purchase them rock-hard. Quince should be yellow and feel heavy and firm with no bruises.