{"id":11697,"date":"2022-06-07T09:56:04","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T09:56:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmandanimals.com\/?p=11697"},"modified":"2023-05-24T22:17:12","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T22:17:12","slug":"medlar-fruit-jam-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farmandanimals.com\/medlar-fruit-jam-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Medlar Fruit Jam Recipe {Video Inside}"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Medlar is an ancient fruit related to quinces, apples, and pears. They grow in a wide range of climates and soil types and produce fruit in late autumn. Due to the fruit’s high pectin content, they are ideal for turning into a delicious jam or jelly. In our step-by-step medlar fruit jam recipe, you\u2019ll discover just how easy it is to make this old fashioned delight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is It A Jam Or A Cheese?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It may seem odd to refer to cooked fruit as a cheese, but in fact, when you boil up fruits with water and sugar and then pass them through a strainer you\u2019re making fruit cheese, this is also usually combined with egg yolks, just like when you\u2019re making lemon curd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When turning medlars into a jam you just place the entire fruit, whole, into the pan, no peeling or removing of pips is needed. This is because once cooked the resultant puree needs to be strained through a sieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make a medlar fruit jelly, rather than smooshing the medlars up into a pulp, you leave them to cook down without too much interference before straining them through a muslin cloth or cheesecloth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is a much clearer product without any bits in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medlar fruits have had something of a revival in recent decades and new, larger varieties such as Giant<\/em> and Macrocarpa<\/em> are becoming readily available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may find medlar fruits in farmers’ markets, but they don\u2019t appear in stores. In most places, it is easy enough to grow a medlar tree<\/a> in your yard. They are fairly small trees and are quite hardy and easy to cultivate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Harvest Medlar Fruits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Medlar fruits are ready to pick in the late autumn<\/a> once the leaves have already fallen from the tree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bletting Your Medlars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Frost is actually beneficial to medlars as it helps with the bletting process. Bletting is necessary to make the fruits soft and ripe enough to eat and it involves allowing the fruits to partially rot in a controlled way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once harvested<\/a>, medlars should be stored somewhere cool and dry to complete the bletting process. They need to shrivel up slightly, turn a darker shade and become squishy. This can take several weeks, depending on how ripe the fruits were when they were picked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To blet the medlars simply stand them on some newspaper in a solid bottomed box or crate with their star-shaped top facing upwards. If you can, try not to let them touch each other, but give them a little space between each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check them every week to see if they have changed color and are starting to become soft to the touch and ooze a sweet, clear, golden color liquid from the top, this will indicate they are ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medlar Names And Popularity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before sugar was available in parts of ancient Greece and Italy, bletted medlars would have been eaten during the winter months as a sweet treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many famous writers mention medlars in their works, including Shakespeare, Chaucer, and de Cervantes. In the French language, medlars are commonly called cul de Chien<\/em>, meaning \u201cdogs butt\u201d which gives a rather graphic and un-poetic imagery to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

William Shakespeare didn\u2019t do much better when he referred to them in Romeo and Juliet as \u201copen arse\u201d the reason being the top of the fruits has a circular crown shape with an indented central section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The popularity of medlars has rallied and waned several times over the centuries. They enjoyed a revival in popularity in Victorian England when wealthy British subjects would make medlar jellies and also alcoholic liquors from them as part of their traditional Christmas celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can You Buy Medlar Fruits At The Store?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You won\u2019t find medlars in your local store because they aren\u2019t really suited to store practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are picked in late autumn through to early winter when they turn a brownish-yellow as this indicates they are mature. Once bletted, the color will change to a deep reddish-brown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you grow your own medlar tree, you can wait until November when the color is turning from brownish-yellow to reddish-brown. That way you won\u2019t need to store them for so long before they are good to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Removing Your Medlars From The Tree<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Usually, you\u2019ll need to cut your medlars off by clipping the stork just above the star-shaped top where they attach themselves to the tree. Use a sharp pair of pruners to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handle them gently, as you don\u2019t want them to bruise as this will cause them to turn bad and mold when you\u2019re bletting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s fine to eat them raw once bletted, just squeeze the bottom of the fruit and the sweet sticky inner will squish out. Discard the pips and skin. The taste is a little like a stewed pear, or apple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019re more interested in turning our medlars into a fruit jam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This video shows you how to make medlar jam: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hxme-vyzazg<\/a>