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Apples
21st Century, Circa 2008
Niagara Fruit Institute Orchards, Winona, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Niagara Fruit Institute

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THE QUINCE

This fruit is relatively unknown today but a hundred years ago, the quince grew on many farms in Niagara. The quince has been confused with both apples and pears as both the tree and fruit are similar. The texture is comparable to a hard apple or pear and it is part of the pome family. When ripe, the fruit is bright golden yellow and this along with a slight difference in shape and the fruit's flavour help to distinguish it from the apple and pear. The flavour is slightly sour and bitter, similar to sour apple.

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Quince Fruit
21st Century, Circa 2008
Niagara Fruit Institute Orchards, Winona, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Niagara Fruit Institute

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Quince trees are used most frequently for grafting with pears and other fruits because quince trees are smaller making the fruit easier to pick. The quince was very popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's and was used to make jellies, pies and wine. The word marmalade was originally used to describe quince jelly. Quince is no longer readily available in local grocery stores and food markets. This may be because they are a less desirable fruit to eat fresh and as they are prone to disease, are difficult for farmers to successfully grow.

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Postcard of Lombard Plums
20th Century, Circa 1950
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Grimsby Museum Collection

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PLUMS

Another popular fruit grown in the Grimsby area is the plum. There continues to be a strong demand for plums, especially for the finer varieties which have been recently cultivated. There are three groups into which plums can be divided; European (oval and blue), Japanese (round and juicy) and American (red to yellow fruit). Most of the plums grown commercially in the area are part of the European varieties. While these plums are of best quality, the American varieties are the hardiest.

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Plum Tree
21st Century, Circa 2008
Warner Farm, Beamsville, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Niagara Fruit Institute

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Plum Blossoms
21st Century, Circa 2008
Warner Farm, Beamsville, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Niagara Fruit Institute

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E. D. Smith Plums
20th Century, Circa 1940
Helderleigh Nursery, E. D. Smith Property, Winona, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Donated by the Niagara Fruit Institute
Grimsby Museum Collection

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Red Plum Trees
21st Century, Circa 2008
Vineland Research Station, Vineland, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Niagara Fruit Institute

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Dark Blue-Purple Plum Fruit
21st Century, Circa 2008
Bridgman Farm, Winona, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Bridgman, Anne

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CHERRIES

There are three well recognized groups in the cherry family. These are the Morello (sour), the Bigarreau Heart (sweet) and the Duke (in between sweet and sour). The hardiest variety is Morello, which is the most profitable for farmers to grow.

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Four Leading Cherry Varieties
20th Century, Circa 1940
Helderleigh Nursery, E. D. Smith Property, Winona, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Donated by the Niagara Fruit Institute
Grimsby Museum Collection

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Cherry Orchard
21st Century, Circa 2008
Bridgman Farm, Winona, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Bridgman, Anne