Zest Lemony Quince Seeds and Cuttings

Currently Unavailable Lemon Flavored Quince Plus Cuttings of "Zest"

Almost all quinces produce fruit of some sort. Many of them are hard and bland. Others taste astringent and acrid making them impossible to consume even with massive amounts of sugar. I was fortunate to grow this seed strain which came from an Iowa nurseryman whose main interest was ornamental plants. He was a character and was well known throughout the nursery industry. The seeds I purchased were considered the more typical form of ornamental quince. The difference was the fruiting capabilities. Many ornamental quince are sterile. This one is the opposite and insanely productive. The fruits of Lemony taste like a lemon. Even the shape suggests a lemon although some are perfectly round. The seed strain can be used as it as well as towards the development of new varieties for fruit production. And it is not a one in a million shot with this seed strain either. The seedlings all are very good but further refinement will be needed to tweak the taste factor on what would be considered delicious enough for drinks, jams, jellies and edible fruit production as a straight up lemon substitute.  Can be stewed or used fresh for flavoring without selection.

"Zest"  This variety is a seedling from our population which is a slightly larger pear shaped fruit and has a very good even flavor very similar to lemon. The flavor profile of this selection could easily be a lemon substitute as well as usher in a northern lemon substitute useful for everything lemon in flavor. "Zest" has heavy yields on a small plant which is ideal for both mechanical and hand harvest. The yields on a larger scale is unknown. Other breeding programs outside of the U.S. have focused on this species recently and you may see these eventually once we wake up from our slumber of agricultural innovations that we see today. 

Package comes with 3 cuttings of "Zest" and 500 seeds from our population at our farm.

To germinate the seeds:  Plant outdoors using the same method as apple or pear seeds-1/4 inch deep. Seeds will germinate in early spring. Some seeds will germinate the 2nd year but normally most seeds sprout that first season.  For indoor germinate refrigerate in a moist media like Canadian peat moss for 90-120 days. Seeds will start to germinate in 60 days. Take those out of the bag and plant them as you go. After removing the bag from the fridge and putting at room temperature after 90-120 days the rest of the seeds will sprout quickly. Plant like apple seedlings. They grow quick and can damp off if the soil mix is too wet.