It’s kumquat season here in Los Angeles! Kumquat Marmalade is the perfect thing to combat an overabundance of citrus. The season begins in January and ends around April. I have a little Nagami kumquat tree in my garden but our friends are blessed with more fruit than they know what to do with. We decided to make a batch of kumquat marmalade which we enjoyed atop some soft stinky french cheese. Making marmalade can seem overwhelming but it’s actually really easy and fun.
If you’re not blessed with an abundance of fruit, check out Endless Orchard. It is a real living fruit orchard planted by the public, for the public – a movement of citizens transforming their own neighborhoods.
Kumquats are about the size of an olive and have a smooth, sweet edible rind with sour flesh. You can store them on the counter-top for a couple of days; otherwise, place them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Kumquats are native to China, and their name comes from the Cantonese kam kwat, which means “golden orange.” They are a symbol of prosperity and a traditional gift at Lunar New Year. This is my year. Happy Year of the Dog!
Kumquats contain fiber, potassium, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin A and are made up of a wide variety of essential oils, including limonene, alpha-pinene, monoterpenes.
The seeds and pith are wrapped in cheesecloth and are boiled alongside the kumquats to provide the pectin to help thicken the marmalade. No additional pectin is needed.
Kumquat Marmalade
6 8 oz caning jars with new lids
cheesecloth
Ingredients
2 pound kumquats stemmed, seeded, and sliced
Reserve the seeds from the kumquats
11 cups water
2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
Instructions
Tie the seeds from the kumquats securely in a piece of cheesecloth, and add the seed sack to the pot along with the sliced kumquats and water. Bring to a boil; remove from heat, cover, and let stand 24 hours.
The next day add the sugar and salt to the pot, and cook the marmalade for 30 to 45 minutes over medium heat. Remove the bag of seeds and when it’s cool enough to handle, squeeze the seeds in the cheesecloth using your hands or place it in a ladle and press it with the back of a soup spoon (being careful not to break the fabric and release the seeds) over the jam pot to so the pectin goes directly into the marmalade mixture.
Continue cooking until it has reached the jelling point, about 220ºF (104ºC) degrees, if using a candy thermometer.
If not using a thermometer, put a small plate in the freezer when you begin cooking the marmalade. When the marmalade is done cooking, turn off the heat and put a small amount on the plate that has been chilled in the freezer and briefly return it to the freezer. Check it in a few minutes; it should be slightly jelled and will wrinkle a bit when you slide your finger through it. If not, continue to cook until it wrinkles slightly on the chilled plate when you nudge it.
Remove from heat and ladle the mixture into clean jars.
Notes
You can use water canning method for traditional marmalade. If you’re not in the mood to can, store in clean jars and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
I love spicy food so we made a couple jars with jalapeno. Just cut up some jalapenos and cook them along with your marmalade. Delicious!
