Killer Kumquats
Kum-What?
The kumquat tree came to Europe and the United States from China in the 1800s. Like other citrus trees, kumquats are harvested from November to early spring. The kumquat is a small, oblong citrus fruit about 1-2 inches in length. The inside flesh tastes very much like a sour orange but given their small size, they are typically eaten whole; rind, seeds, and all. The rind tastes very much like an orange peel, so the experience is akin to taking a bite out of an unpeeled orange with a very thick peel. The flavor is a mix of sour and sweet, with a chewy texture. You can spit the seeds out if you want to, but the kumquat eaters I know eat everything.
Glen’s Kumquat Tree
Glen is my son-in-law’s grandfather. His kumquat tree is situated outside his 19th century kitchen house in Bonifay, Florida. It’s an hour and a half’s drive from my house but I was glad to make the trip because he had kumquats to offer! And his tree had a lot of them. After harvesting, Glen invited me in to visit for a while, which I was more than happy to do. He is a charming gentleman, and the visit was delightful. Before I left, he gave me a few tangerines from his Satsuma tree. When I got home, I shared them with other family members and ate a few myself. They were delicious! Maybe if that tree bears more fruit next year there might be some Satsuma tangerine jam in my future.
A Race Against Time
Now, with over a thousand kumquats, it was time to make marmalade. I found it took about 150 kumquats to make one batch of 7 jars. I thoroughly washed them and then, one at a time, I painstakingly any significant defects in the rind, cut them in half, and removed the seeds. Then I let them macerate in a bowl of water overnight in the fridge. The next day, I processed them in a food processor until the pieces of rind were just the right size, added the other ingredients, and started cooking them down. When the consistency was just right, I filled the jars and canned them. I was only able to make one batch per day, so it became a race against time to turn all the kumquats into marmalade before they spoiled.
Marvelous Marmalade
The resulting marmalade was well worth all the work. Tangy and sweet, with a slightly chunky texture, its pretty fabulous stuff. If you have never tasted kumquat marmalade, you need to try mine. As one Single Tree customer commented on Facebook thread about my jams, “The kumquat is out of this world.” A lot of time and effort went into making this marmalade, but it is priced the same as all my other jams. Click here to order your kumquat marmalade today!
Coming Up Next
March: The Single Tree tent will be back at the Tallahassee Downtown Market!
May: I hope to harvest enough peaches from my tree to welcome peach jam to the Single Tree lineup!
Always: Do you know anyone in the Tallahassee area that has a tree producing too much fruit? Send me an email at singletreeproducts@gmail.com!
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