Quince Identification

Whilst out on a foraging expedition 'somewhere in England' recently I came across these fruit, just waiting to be picked. They are most certainly from the quince family, I was thinking that they were Japonica or Japanese quince? they appear to be round, apple shaped quince as opposed to pear shaped quince. I had a look on the internet last night and I'm not sure, there are lots of varieties. They are destined for the cooking pot, quince jelly, quince cheese and even a few slices to jazz up an apple pie. Does anyone out there have any ideas as to which variety these are? Update on the sloe gin... after just one day the colour is starting to come out of the sloes. Each day the bottles are gently agitated to help dissolve the sugar. The colour will gradually deepen to a dark cherry.... by about Christmas time... I think.

Now, hold on to your hats... I must make it clear once more, dear readers, that Matron does not do flowers - because you can't eat flowers. Having said that, I have been growing some ginger in pots in the greenhouse and I thought you might like to smell these! These ginger roots I brought back these ginger lillies from the island of Madeira a few years ago. The variety is Hedychium Gardnerianum for those that are interested. The perfume is just completely wonderful at the moment. The whole greenhouse is filled with a heady, tropical perfume! I just go in there for long periods and breathe deeply. Ahhhhh!

Well... ginger is edible, after all!