I have been using Quince to make ciders for several years now. Being blessed with an abundant Russian Quince in my yard, and later finding an unloved Pineapple Quince in the neighborhood, I have had a chance to try it in a variety of ways. Annual yield of my tree is ~85lbs. the donor tree gave ~40lds. Jams get made on the regular and a poached quince is great with vanilla ice cream. But to cider....
I start by washing and coring the fruit. It is hard and I recommend a heavy sharp knife. Be careful. Then once quartered and cored, I simply put it through the food processor with a shredder attachment. Bag in gallon freezer bags and stick them in the freezer. I have tried boiling for the extract. It makes the juice too high in pectin. I have tried pressure cooker extract, makes a great clearer ruby red syrup, but again too much pectin.. The freezing does two things. It keeps it fresh while you work on processing and it bursts the cell wall of the fruit.
To extract the juice/flavor, I ferment directly on the shredded fruit inside mesh bags (10-15lbs for a 5 gallon batch) with a bit of added sugar to help release the juice. First using campden tablets for day or so. Then pectin enzyme, an hour before pitch. Take a gravity reading. Adjust OG using added sugar, apple juice or honey, all good. Pitch a well nurished yeast. I have used montrachet, champagne. but prefer cider yeast, It is persistent up to a fairly high abv and leaves a lot of flavor. Take the fruit material out after the primary fermentation is done. I'm sure you guys can take it from there, but it does take a long time to get good. I rack it off a few times to help with clarity, but usually don't bottle before 9 months in the carboy.
