Let's geek out about quinces. I have space to plant one tree but not sure about variety. Also interested un favorite resources about cookin

If you're going to make quince paste/cheese, make sure to use quinces that are still quite green and not completely yellowed and less firm. The more green/firm quinces will have a higher pectin content, which is important for the quince cheese to set correctly.

(Source - friend in Portugal who makes 'marmelada' at home with fruit from her own quince trees. )

I also love to use quince (ripe) in a tagine with lamb or chicken - and quince sorbet is fantastic.

Make this cake http://www.bojongourmet.com/2014/10/gluten-free-ginger-vanilla-quince-upside-down-cake.html?m=1

I would love a quince tree in my garden! We're replacing an ugly tree with something hopefully beautiful and useful, I'm gunning for quince!

One of my favourite things to make is quince liqueur. Slice the quince thinly, add sugar and cover in a spirit (vodka or brandy). Leave for several months. I use vodka, and after a while, you've got the most amazing honey-like drink. It's great to add a subtle quince flavour to baking, sauces, tarts etc, as well as to serve after dinner as a digestif.

Hi Meg, since you want quince fruit, be sure to select a fruiting quince (Cydonia) and not a quince grown primarily for its flowers (Chaenomeles). The latter may produce some tiny fruits, but it's not what you want if you're looking for a crop of quince to cook with.

I can't provide any recommendations in terms of specific cultivars of Cydonia other than 'Apple', which is I believe is a fairly common fruiting quince. Good luck!

This recipe for panforte (http://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-bakingrec3c-2008dec03-story.html) from Tartine bakery incorporates a sub-recipe for candied quince. I've been making this panforte for a few years around the winter holidays; it's a fun project and has a wonderful complex flavor.

Also, you probably know this, but the buds are already formed by winter, so if you cut a branch from a quince now and put it in a vase of water inside, it will bloom beautifully in the warmth of your house. I have one going right now! (Although sadly, I had to buy it since I don't have space for a tree)

Look for quince paste, baked quinces, chicken and quinces in Sephardic (Spanish or Mediterranean Jewish) cuisine, especially recipes by Claudia Rosen.

I don't have much to say about growing them, but both David Lebovitz and Stevie Parle have very good recipes for cooking them. They poach very nicely (turning a beautiful pink) and can also be used to make a jelly or membrillo.

I have one quince in my collection; yields between 8-15 lg. pear shaped fruit each year. Trees are self polinating, rather small, ornamental, with lg. pretty white flowers; blooming after danger from frost is done. Pick late Oct. when they easily twist from branch. Lime sulfur spray in early spring while dormant, especially in crotches of tree. Mine tastes like a cross between peaches and apples.