Quince or medlers

I have a quince which is about 5 years old and produces loads of fruit for very little effort. Never grown medlars but always think that they're a funny fruit, I know a friend of mine used to have one in her garden in her old house and she never really got on with them, unlike the rest of the fruit. Suppose it might be down to which do you prefer?

quince or medlar

Provided you have a sunny spot I would opt for the quince as its fruit are a luxury item. Bedford is far enough south for good ripening as well. Medlars are tougher, usually pest disease free and have more character as a centrepiece in a lawn. There fruit is best described as an acquired taste.

I chopped down my medlar. Very pretty tree but fruit are a hassle (bletting) and not that useful.

Quinces are very versatile fruit used in both sweet and savoury dishes in Middle Eastern and Greek cuisines, there's only so much jelly you can make!

There was a thread "Quince Overload" very recently. Might be useful.

I planted a little medlar tree a couple of years ago and I can't wait until I get the first real harvest. A friend of mine used to have one many years ago and gave me the fruits after the first frost, and I made a medlar and apple jam from it which was simply gorgeous. I don't know anyone else with a medlar tree, whereas quinces are quite popular and always have more fruits than people can manage, it's very easy to find someone who will be only too happy to give some away.

Medlars make a great dessert fruit raw, which gives them extra versatility compared to quince. I know they're described as an acquired taste, but I liked the first one I ever tasted so not sure that's always true. They taste like apple puree with a hint of lemon juice and a bit of an oat-y texture mixed in. Bletting isn't a hassle, just leave them somewhere til the skin goes dark and wrinkled then cut them in half, suck out the flesh and spit out the seeds. Apparently they can also be frozen at that point for later consumption, although I haven't tried that.

On the other hand, yield in kg is probably higher for quince since medlar fruits are small, and if you want to make jellies then processing lots of small medlars with big seeds in them is probably more of a pain. I've had difficulties getting my own medlar tree to start yielding, so most of the ones I've eaten have been from other people's trees. This year was the first year I tried a home-grown medlar, and the first time I tried an Iranian medlar (that's the variety I have). It was nicer than the Nottingham medlars, but as I said, so far it hasn't produced that much so not sure I'd recommend the variety.

So if you just want the jelly, maybe quince is better. If you want something you can eat raw as well, try to taste a medlar before you order.

Another thought. Quince is only commonly available on quince rootstocks, which is not very tolerant of dry or alkaline conditions. If your soils aren't moist and neutral to acidic then your tree might struggle - I've had problems with pears on quince rootstocks in my own garden. They also strongly prefer warmth and shelter according to the RHS.

Medlars are available on quince, hawthorn, medlar, and pear rootstocks depending on the supplier (e.g. Agroforestry Research Trust supplies medlars on hawthorn, for the others you can try Keepers). Medlars are also fairly shade tolerant, although fruit production will suffer in the shade, they don't suffer from many serious diseases in UK conditions, and they flower very late. They're a bit susceptible to wind damage in exposed conditions because the new growth is whippy and they're tip-bearers.

So I'd argue that of the two, medlars are less fussy and more flexible than quince.

Gosh chrisdb...you've got me tempted to try and get hold of an Iranian medlar on hawthorn rootstock
Very interesting posts- thank you!
Hmmmmm.....

Before you make your choice Google the recipes for both fruits. You'll find the quince is far more versatile.

I agree with Chrisb. Nottingham medlar not that brilliant. Squirrels used to clear the tree if not picked early

I'm not sure Nottingham is bad, it's just that the Iranian medlar in my garden tastes even nicer. The problem is so far it's not produced much so I can't say whether the yield of the mature tree is good or not.

Hamid Habibi claims that Nottingham medlars tend to split and rot because the eye is very open:

https://fruitforum.wordpress.com/200...it-be-trained/

Unfortunately it's by far the most commonly available variety, so unless you want to order bare-root for next winter your choices are limited.