An Ode to a Quince Tree

large quince tree
Old Quince Tree outside of the Envi Center, 2022

Not long ago, some of you will remember, there was a lone quince tree out in front of the ‘66 Environmental Center by the building’s sign.  It leaned to the south, the left if you were leaving the building and heading towards Hollander, or to the right if you were headed in the opposite direction. It was 8ish feet tall with the occasional unkempt branch that set out on its own, officially adding a foot or two more to its height; it would have been proud to tell. Perhaps because of its prominent location along a busy thoroughfare (between Mission and the center of campus, between Hollander and the Envi Center) the quince couldn’t avoid the limelight quincelight and a number of passersby took a shine to it. Though perhaps proximity was just one reason that this tree piqued the interest of so many.  It might have been that although, in this area, it might be easier to stroll past apple trees or meander near an occasional peach, one seldom, it seems, finds oneself rubbing shoulders with a quince.

To make what might become a long story not so long, the quince became overcome with fireblight, a highly contagious and destructive bacterial disease that can tear through orchards.  Felicity Purzycki and the Grounds Team spotted fireblight on a couple of branches of a few apple trees in our humble orchard and removed the infected limbs, hopefully salvaging the remainder of the trees.  The star of this particular story was not salvageable, and it was quietly removed.  I did reach out to a few folks who I knew would want to know, telling them that flowers were not necessary and that no, in lieu of them, they also did not need to make a donation to the quince tree’s favorite charity. OK, perhaps I’m overstating it, but I reached out to former Sustainability Coordinator, Christine Seibert since she ended up stepping into the role of quince liaison and her recollections are below.  

baby quince tree behind envi center
New Quince Tree behind the Envi Center, planted on September 20th, 2024.

The tree that welcomed you upon your arrival at the ‘66 Envi Center has given way to the backyard quince trees.  Yes, with the help of the Grounds team, a small team joined Felicity to plant the two new quince trees near the annual garden beds behind the building two Fridays ago.  Community member Laura Bentz, even stopped by to share a handful of fruit from her quince trees to help mark the occasion.  We have been watering them to ensure that they have a strong start during this establishment period.  Please stop by anytime to wish them well. 

 

“When I first arrived at Williams, I had never heard of quince. I quickly learned that the tree standing outside the ’66 Environmental Center was loved by many. There were multiple faculty members from Turkey who said the tree reminded them of home, where they would eat the fruit straight off the tree – no cooking needed! There was a community member who did some guerilla pruning and caretaking of the tree to try to ensure its survival (very kind, and, if you’re considering this, Williams now has an arborist so please leave it to the professionals). I quickly realized that people fell into one of two camps – those who had never heard of quince (I immediately tried to sell them on it), and those who watched the tree every day on their way in and out of work to see how the crop was coming along. 

One year, most of the fruit suddenly disappeared, much to the sadness of those waiting. We realized that there might be a need for a system to ensure those who wanted to taste it had the chance. And that is how I somehow added “quince distributor” to my job duties (I preferred the term “quince queen”, but I’ll take it ;)). I chatted with those I could tell were invested in the tree, and interns put up a sign to ask people to refrain from picking. This also helped prevent them from being picked too early, since it’s tempting to harvest before they are ready. Then the interns and I emailed those interested in the crop, whether for personal use or to share a traditional dish in a class, and made sure that everyone who wanted to partake received a share. I must say, by the end of it all I developed an affection for that little tree. It brought joy to so many people’s lives [omg am I writing a eulogy for a tree?!?! Mike, help!], whether introducing students to a local food source they previously didn’t know, or bringing a taste of home to those who grew up with the tree in their home communities. It will be missed!”

Christine Seibert, former Sustainability Coordinator at the Zilkha Center who is now working as a Project Manager at Harvard’s Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability: Climate Action Accelerator

 

Jonathan Miller, Director of the Libraries and also another quince fan, wrote in with the following recipe:

The quince not only has a lovely fruit, but also a gorgeous flower

My recipe is for a quince cider.  Quince make a lovely floral cider. 

  • Pick the quince fruit when very ripe and get as much as you can. You will need more than you can imagine. Store until the fruit is soft and beginning to wrinkle. 
  • If you can only get a few quince fruit, then you can add the must (unfiltered juice of the fruit) to your apple must for a floral hint.
  • Crush the fruit and then press as you would apples.
  • Unless you are brave enough to try to make a cider using wild yeast, use the appropriate amount of sulfide to kill the wild yeast in the must and add a good cider yeast. A champagne yeast like EC-1118 works well.
  • Let ferment in a closed vessel with an airlock until the airlock stops bubbling.
  • Siphon into a second vessel with as little airspace as possible and let it ferment again.
  • Once the cider is clear enough to see your hand through the vessel, siphon it into bottles.
  • If you want to make a sparkling cider add a small amount of yeast and sugar to each bottle (make sure you are using champagne bottles, stoppers, and cages to withstand the pressure.) 
  • Age for at least six months. Quince make a lovely floral cider.

 

Mike Evans, Deputy Director of Campus Sustainability