Fashions and fads are not limited to clothes, shoes, furniture, house designs, etc. but also, somewhat surprisingly, are evident in the world of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers too with what is in high demand one season, often fading into obscurity over the following years. Just think of how popular things like black carrots, chives and carnations used to be and how deliciously sweet black carrots have been replaced by often tasteless orange ones; how regular chives have given way to garlic chives and carnations to a whole host of easier to cultivate, often seasonal rather than perennial, flowers; and how quinces, never widely grown in Pakistan at the best of times, have almost completely disappeared and are never found in bazaars anymore.

Yet, of the numerous varieties of fruit grown throughout the length and breadth of the country, each region having its own specialties, the not-so- humble quince deserves to be both reintroduced in locations where it was previously cultivated — these are primarily in the north — and to be introduced in other places as well.

Quince trees tend to be of medium size and have the ‘artistic’ habit of growing in some extremely weird, perhaps one could even call them ‘tortured’ shapes which, perhaps even more so after they have shed their leaves for the winter, makes them wonderful, eye-catching specimens for gardens large or small. There are generally two distinct types: One which forms fascinating mounds and the other with a taller growth habit that makes it more suited to orchard conditions than as a garden centrepiece.

Very hardy and long lived, quinces, botanically named Cydonia vulgaris/Cydonia oblongata, will, under perfect growing and climatic conditions, attain a maximum height of approximately 20 feet but are more liable to be between 10 and 15 feet tall which makes them highly suitable for most gardens although, having said this, I do not, this is a personal opinion, feel that they will thrive in Karachi but I may be wrong.

Originating in ancient Persia and Central Asia, these highly aromatic fruits were once widely cultivated across Europe, around the Mediterranean and also in Moghul gardens in this part of the world. Self fertile (this means that only one tree is required and not the two or three needed for cross-pollination as with so many other types of fruit tree), they can be propagated from suckers or from seed, with the latter bearing fruit in four to six years although, naturally, those grown from suckers should fruit faster and have been known to do so from the age of just three years.

It can be far easier though, to track down seeds than to find someone lucky enough to still have an existing quince tree from which a limited number of suckers can be taken each year. Personally, I grew my own from seed and found that germination rate was high, growth, after the initial year, fast and they first flowered — the flowers are pale pink, rather like apple blossom but are single on the branches not in clusters, and have the added bonus of being delicately perfumed — at the age of four years, first set fruit the following year and fruit successfully when six years old.

The fruit, which is highly aromatic and has a much nicer, in my opinion, aroma than guavas, resembles an apple crossed with a pear, turns deep yellow when fully ripe and is usually covered with a fine brownish or whitish fuzz which is totally natural and should not be confused with a fungal growth. Quince trees are rarely, if ever, attacked by pests and, as the fruit is generally quite hard, the crop is left alone by birds too which is surely a bonus.

The trees enjoy reasonably fertile soil, need plenty of water and are very happy when grown adjacent to a watercourse or pond. They take very hot sunshine and winter cold without any problem whatsoever. The reason that many people have no time now for quinces is that, it is often said, they cannot be eaten raw but this is patently untrue!

The hard fruits, they ripen in autumn and can be stored for a long period without any need of cold storage, are deliciously crunchy and taste divine when sprinkled with a little salt, black pepper and red chilli but it is usually recommended that they be stewed with either sugar or honey. Quinces can also be made into a type of fruit cheese, exactly identical to guava cheese and using the same recipe and are, believe it or not, the ingredient of original marmalade as invented in Portugal.

If you can get hold of seeds, I highly recommend that you give growing quinces a try and, if you do this in Karachi, please let me know the end result.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. Answers to selected questions will appear in a future issue of the magazine. This takes time. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail. E-mails with attachments will not be opened. Please note: The writer’s garden is not open to the public.