Quince season again…

According to Ambrose Heath in his pocket sized book on Home-made Wines and Liqueurs and How to Make Them, making quince wine is really straight forward…

• wipe and grate twenty large, sound, ripe quinces leaving the core
• simmer in a gallon of boiling water for 15-20 minutes
• strain with pressure though a jelly bag
• allowing 2lbs of white sugar to 1 gallon of warm liquid, and the thinly-pared rind and juice of two lemons, stir together until the sugar is dissolved
• add ¼ oz yeast of a bit of toast and leave closely covered for 24 hours
• remove the toast and rind and pour into cask
• leave open until fermentation has ended, bung and leave as long as possible – it improves with keeping, then bottle

Firstly, I don’t have a cask – will another sort of container suffice? Secondly I am only guessing, but I think he means live yeast – what would be the equivalent in dried yeast and would the toast still be involved?

I will report back on this – I may very well end up making quince jelly for Christmas instead!