I can help with that!!
There are a few types of quince.
One is a small, deciduous tree grows about 16-26 feet tall and bears a fruit that looks like a pear. It is in the pear and apple family.
Another, and the one I am asking about, is it's cousin commonly called a flowering or Japanese quince. It is a spiny shrub growing 1-3 meters tall. The fruits are the real gem that most would just over look.
From Wiki- (there are picture here too)
The fruits are very hard and astringent and very unpleasant to eat raw, though they do soften and become less astringent after frost (when they are said to be "bletted"). They are, however, suitable for making liqueurs, as well as marmalade and preserves, as they contain more pectin than apples and true quinces. The fruit also contain more vitamin C than lemons (up to 150 mg/100 g).
To use them we cut them in half, pull out the seed chamber and seeds and cut them into smaller chunks or slices then mix with sugar. The sugar pulls the juice out and it is heaven!! We then use what they call here rectified spirit, which as far as I can figure out is a raw alcohol made from potato or grain. It is 180 proof, so you don't want to drink it straight! You mix the alcohol and water with the sugar and fruit mixture and let it sit for about 2 months shaking the jug every few days.
I am not much of a drinker but this stuff is heaven.
Here is a good overview of this kind of alcohol mix which here is called nalewka (nalevka).
