Recently I checked out The River Cottage Preserves Handbook by Pam Corbin from the library. I need to find a copy for my collection. Certainly I want it so I can try several of the recipes... but this passage was what really made me smile:
You don't need to turn the clock back far, just a couple generations to the 1950's when to own a home refrigerator or a freezer was considered opulent, and of course fresh foods didn't arrive each day of the week, each week of the year, by air and sea from all corners of the globe..."
That little bit reminded me of a story my parents tell of when we lived in a small village in South Eastern Alaska. At that time mail came in once every two weeks, by float plane, weather permitting. My grandparents, being aware of the lack of fresh food we were eating, decided to mail some fresh green beans from the garden to us. Unfortunately weather did not permit and the green beans did not arrive fresh. As the story goes, the pilot of the plane was not happy.
This shipment was much more successful. The quince my grandmother mailed me, plus a bit from my own shrub, made the most beautiful quince paste/cheese (a preserve that is like fruit butter but cooked longer). I used the recipe from the cookbook mentioned above. It is the first time quince has turned pink for me when I cooked it. I'm not sure if it was the directions to cook the quince peel, seeds and all or if it was the cook until mushy and then let sit for several hours that did the trick, but either way I'll be following this recipe again.
Next recipe to try: Honeyed hazels. Or maybe Spiced Pickled Pears...