Quince Paste:

Ingredients: 4 lb/2 kg quinces
juice of 1 lemon
sugar

Wipe the quinces to remove their downy coating, but do not peel. cut them in quarters and then in eights and put them in a heavy pan with the lemon juice and water to cover. Cover the pan and simmer until the fruit is soft - about 30-40 minutes -. Drain and press the fruit through a shieve to purée it. Weigh the purée and for each pound/500 gr. take the same weight, or slightly less, of sugar. Put the purée into a preserving pan over a very low heat and add the sugar, a little at a time. Stir constantly with a long handhled wooden spoon to avoid being burnt because as the paste thickensit erupts and spits. Make sure the paste doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. It needs to cook for at least an hour, until it thickens so that a spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan leaves a clear trail. Turn the paste into shallow metal trails lined with greaseproof paper. Cover with light cloth and dry thoroughy for 4-5 days in an airing cupboard or on a cental heating boiler, until the paste has dried completly and is firm to the touch. Then cut into small pieces, dust with caster sugar and store in an airthight container. Quince paste makes a good after-dinner sweetmeat.

This recipe is from "Jams & Preserves" by Jill Norman. I adapted for warmer and dry climates and it works. I used quinces taken from abandoned land in Spain. No pesticides or chemical products involved in its growing. try it!