Canning Quince
Canning quince at home allows you to preserve these fragrant fruits right on your pantry shelf.
Ingredients
- 9 to 10 pounds quince
- 6 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cups sugar
Instructions
- Prepare a water bath canner for hot pack (water simmering at about 180 F) before beginning, and also prepare jars, lids, and rings.
- Prepare the quince by peeling, coring and slicing. Be careful here, quince are very hard to cut, watch your fingers.
- Add the water and sugar to a large pot and bring it to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the sliced quince, return to a boil and then turn the heat down to low.
- Simmer the quince covered until they're fork tender, pink and fragrant (about 30 to 40 minutes, or longer, depending on the variety). Add water as necessary to maintain the liquid level.
- Remove the quince from the heat and use a slotted spoon to pack into prepared canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Ladle the cooking liquid over the quince in jars, maintaining 1/2 inch headspace.
- Debubble jars, adjust headspace, apply 2-part canning lids and seal to finger tight.
- Process jars in a water bath canner for 20 minutes (pints) and 25 minutes (quarts), adjusting for altitude (see below).
- When the canning time is complete, remove the jars to cool on a towel on the counter. Check seals after 12-24 hours, and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.
- Properly canned and sealed jars of quince will maintain peak quality on the pantry shelf for 12 to 18 months, and be good to eat for much longer. Refrigerate after opening.
Notes
Yield
It takes about 1 pound of fresh quince to make a pint of canned quince slices. You can use other jar sizes, including half pint and quart, but plan on about 1/2 pound per cup (8 oz), 1 pound per pint (16 oz) or 2 lbs per quart (32 oz). These measurements are approximate and are in whole quince as purchased before they've been peeled and cored. You can adjust the total quantity in this recipe to suit your needs, but I've set it as a "standard" 9-pint canner batch.Canning Syrup
I'm packing these in extra light syrup, which maintains their sweetness, rather than making them sweeter. You can use more or less sugar based on your preference.The recipe for extra light syrup is as follows:
For a 7 quart canner batch ~ 10 1/2 cups water and 1 1/4 cups sugar For a 9 pint canner batch ~ 6 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cups sugar If you like sweeter canned quince, you can use anything from light up to heavy syrup for water bath canning. See this canning syrup table if you’d like the measurements for other syrup concentrations.Altitude Adjustments for Canning Quince
The altitude adjustments for canning quince are as follows:- For 0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes
- For 1,001 to 3,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pints for 25 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes
- For 3,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pints for 30 minutes and quarts for 35 minutes
- Above 6,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pints for 35 minutes and quarts for 40 minutes