Preserving Kumquats is a sure way to brighten up a winter day!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 9:45AM 
6 pounds of "Nagami" Kumquats
Why do I love Kumquats so much?
Where do I start?
As some of you might know, I am obsessed with ORANGE. The color, the flavor, and the many types of citrus fruit in the orange family. I also like tiny versions of my favorite things. Miniature horses, bite-size candy bars and kumquats* all fill that bill.
I just received a shipment of fresh-picked kumquats from Florida, which the Pugs had to fully inspect immediately upon arrival. Seriously, there was quite of bit of whining & begging involved.
This is a 10 pound box of "Nagami" Kumquats from Kumquat Growers Inc. in Florida. ("Nagami" are the tart ones. The same company also had "Meiwa" available; they are the sweet variety.) You want the tart ones for recipes. They provide the bright acidity that pairs so well with the sweetness of the sugar.
Kumquats are one of those fruits that involve more prep than most others. It's a good thing I'm so enamored with them. Otherwise they might be way too much work!
2 pounds sliced and seeded...save the seeds for the preserving process!
I use fill-able tea bags for keeping the seeds together. Cooking the seeds with preserves helps to release their pectin. The natural pectin found in the seeds is a much-needed ingredient which helps to thicken marmalades, jellies and jams.
2 pounds of kumquat results in this many seeds...about 1/3 of a cup.
Add the bag full of seeds to the preserving pan and then poke it with a spoon so that it sinks.
I'm skipping a few steps in the recipe here because my next blog post will most likely be about making marmalade and I'll provide plenty of details in that blog, including what NOT to do, spoken from experience!
Using a canning funnel always makes filling jars about 10 times easier!
I'll tempt you with a little dab of Kumquat Marmalade & Cream Cheese on a cracker...
...the tart-sweet flavor of the marmalade is wonderful when paired with the rich, smooth qualities of cream cheese and the crispness of a cracker.
*Kumquats were originally considered to be part of the Citrus family, but in 1915, they were given their very own genus, Fortunella. So technically, even though they look like oranges, they're not actually citrus fruits.
Link to a short silly video of a little boy tasting his first kumquat :)
Please check out some of my other preserving projects by going back to my main blog....
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Reader Comments (3)
I love your photos and your post. We've been worried about the freeze here in Florida, but so far the citrus crops seem to be fine. Your idea for keeping the seeds in tea bags is BRILLIANT! Thank you for a wonderful idea.
We just picked up quite a few citrus trees and berry bushes to plant on our urban homestead. One of the citrus trees is called a Centennial Kumqwat tree wondering if you have heard of this and have you tried preserving it's fruit? Check it out on line http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/Citrus.htm I want to learn how to can and preserve too! Great blog!
Hi Michelle. I certainly am envious that you are growing your own citrus and berries. Berries we can grow here in Seattle; the citrus are not so easy. I do have Meyer Lemons and a Buddha's Hand Citron in my house, but it's always such a struggle with them I fret over them and hand-pollinate. The smell of the blooms in the house makes it all worth it though!
So I looked up your Centennial Kumquat. It sounds so interesting. I think it will be beautiful! It said you can make marmalade out of it. It has a good proportion of flesh to it's thin peel. Looks like big seeds too. No matter what, you will have to do a fair amount of picking seeds out of the fruit. Should be much easier with bigger seeds, right?
If you are growing things on your urban farm you SHOULD be canning & preserving. You will have so much fun. It's not just jellies and jams you can make, but syrups, infused vinegars, fruit-y drinking vinegars, candied citrus peels....I could go on and on....
Have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for your comment. I look forward to hearing more :)
B