Common Quince Vranja - Cydonia oblonga

The Vranja Quince (synonyms Monstrous of Vranja or Giant of Vranja) is a self-fertile variety, of medium vigour, whose fruits can weigh more than 1 kg. Quinces ripen around mid-October, they are pear-shaped, ribbed, yellow-green in color, covered with a slight velvety film. Their highly fragrant flesh is firm and moderately sweet. Astringent when eaten raw, quince flesh reveals its flavor and aromas when cooked. It is delicious in compotes with apples, in jams, jellies, fruit pastes, in tarts and crumbles, but also in sweet/savoury dishes. 

The quince tree, in Latin Cydonia oblonga, belongs to the Rosaceae family, just like the apple tree and the pear tree. This bush is native to temperate regions of the Caucasus and Iran, from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea: Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Caucasian Russia, Turkmenistan.  It is a small deciduous and hardy tree, with a spreading habit and a rounded crown, whose leaves fall in autumn. The cultivar 'Monstrous of Vranja' was selected in southern Serbia around 1898. It thrives in ordinary soil, neither too chalky nor too dry, and prefers deep and fertile soils. This variety is self-fertile, but fruit production will be greater in the presence of another quince tree that blooms simultaneously. Production is good and regular in most regions.

The Vranja Quince is moderately vigorous, it has an upright habit and will reach an average height of 4 m (13ft) and a width of 2 m (7ft) at maturity, depending on growing conditions. This variety is easy to train. Its leaves are trailing, entire, measuring 6 to 11 cm (2 to 4in) long, with a villous edge. They are a medium green color. 'Monstrous of Vranja' flowers in April, it is a late bloomer and appears two days before that of the 'Champion' quince tree. The beautiful flowers have 5 white-pink petals and measure about 4 cm (2in) in diameter. After pollination, the fruits form and ripen from October 15th, depending on the regions. Quinces have an irregular and elongated pear shape, they are sometimes slightly heterogeneous in terms of size and weigh from 200 g up to 1.2 kg each. When immature, they are green and covered with a fuzzy down. They lose much of this down by the end of autumn when the fruit changes color and turns yellow. They are very hard fruits, with thick skin, containing firm pale yellow to whitish flesh, pleasantly fragrant. The fruit core contains brown seeds.

Easy to grow, the Giant of Vranja Quince likes sunny positions, rich, deep soils, without excessive limestone. Very hardy, it requires warmth in autumn for good fruit ripening. Since quinces affect the ripening of other pome fruits, it is advisable not to store them together. The main pests of the quince tree are aphids and codling moth, and the main diseases are quince leaf blight and brown rot (storage diseases).