Quince Champion - Cydonia oblonga

Productive variety, providing large pear-shaped yellow fruits with tender and juicy flesh. It is a variety of American origin. Quinces, sometimes called golden apples or Cydonia pears, are consumed cooked (jams, jellies, compotes, fruit pastes, pies, crumbles...). The Quince tree is a hardy tree, both fruit-bearing and ornamental. Plant preferably in autumn or winter, outside of frost, for a harvest starting from late October.

The Champion Quince produces large pear-shaped yellow fruits with tender and juicy flesh. Quinces are harvested in autumn, before the frost. Pick the fruits when they are ripe as they do not ripen further after harvest. Mature fruits are yellow but remain firm to the touch. Quinces do not keep well. They are consumed cooked, alone or mixed with other fruits, in jams, jellies, compotes, fruit pastes, pies, crumble. Less commonly, quinces are used as an accompaniment to savory dishes, especially with potatoes.

The flowering of the Quince tree around April is very decorative and fragrant, with flowers in white-pinkish color. It will be followed by the formation of quinces, pear-shaped (piriform) or apple-shaped (maliform), initially green and then turning yellow when ripe. The Quince tree is self-fertile but, as with any plantation, it is advisable to alternate varieties and species for better fruiting.

The Quince tree belongs to the Rosaceae family and the Cydonia genus, while the Japanese Quince or Flowering Quince belongs to the Chaenomeles genus. It is a small vigorous and hardy tree, able to withstand temperatures down to -25°C. It will reach a height of 4 to 5 m (13 to 16ft) with a width of 2 to 3 m (7 to 10ft). Its habit is bushy and its deciduous leaves are dark green, slightly fuzzy, taking on a beautiful golden hue in autumn. Being both fruit-bearing and decorative, the Quince tree can be planted individually on a short grass meadow, in a hedge, an orchard, or within a flower bed.