"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Pat Gardiner" writes:
|
| I have now identified, the ones we had years ago, pretty certainly as
| Chaenomeles japonica. It was as bushes under a south facing window. It
was
| pruned very sharply and only one year produced fruit. We shall have to
see
| how it does under a high north facing wall.
|
| That fruit made a very good jelly of a very similar flavour to Meeches
or
| Serbian Quinces.
|
| That is what baffled me. It is unusual for the fruits of totally
different
| species taste so similar.
|
| Does anyone know why?

They're not actually that different?

Seriously. They are closer to each other than quinces are to pears,
and a LOT close than either are to apples.

Ah. My memory for taste is accurate. Thanks

I guess most people here are about my age. It never ceases to amaze me just
how many flavours we missed out on as children - the war and rationing, no
doubt.

My ambition to "grow everything edible " has led me to many unusual
flavours, and a sometimes rebellious Mrs Pat to find ways to make the not
very edible a rare and unusual treat.

Her finest hour on deserts used to be her Pavlova - our own Jersey cream,
the Meringue from our own egg white (alas not our own sugar) and a least a
dozen softfruits - of unusual colours including white strawberries. (Would
you believe they fool the birds?). It was huge too

We lived more or less totally self-sufficient. We live fairly remotely and
I'm always very surprised how restricted the local diet still is. I have to
act like a very determined missionary to get the lad who helps me in the
garden to try something new. Yet they admit that their granparents were far
more adventurous. The last remnants of the Victorian and Edwardian high
table I suppose.


--
Regards
Pat Gardiner
www.go-self-sufficient.com






Regards,
Nick Maclaren.