Kumquat Jam

My friend has a large and prosperous kumquat tree and asked if I wanted some of the fruit before they were all gone. I jumped at the chance, as I love to snack on kumquats. But when I came home with almost 3 pounds, I knew I wouldn’t even be able to make a dent in my newly acquired stash before they all went bad. I had never tried making fruit jam before so I did a little internet research and found a simple kumquat jam recipe from Food in Jars. The result was amazing, slightly bitter but sweet and with intense kumquat flavor. However, here’s your warning: taking apart the little kumquats is tedious and monotonous, especially if you’re making a large batch. So I suggest you do what I did and make this jam when you have some time to spare, turn on the TV and do a marathon run of trashy television shows, and try and enjoy the process, because it’s totally worth it!

Kumquat Jam

Sour, bitter and fragrant kumquats are the perfect citrus fruit to turn into jam.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound kumquats (rinsed)
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First quarter your kumquats. Then, using a sharp paring knife, separate the peel from inner membrane and seeds, reserving this since it will be the source of pectin for the jam.
2. Then slice each quarter of a peel into thin slices. Place the seeds and membrane in a cheese cloth and tie tightly. Then fill a large pot with 2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar and place the peels and cheese cloth package in the pot.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 25 minutes until the consistency is thick. Mine took longer, almost an hour, since I had a lot more kumquats. Pour the marmalade into small jars and keep refrigerated.

(images by HonestlyYUM)