Kumquat Marmalade

Its that time of year in our house. Time to puree all the leftover kumquats from Christmas and use them or freeze them for later.

What is a kumquat you say? A kumquat is a small citrus fruit. The rind is sweet and the inside is sour. After the seeds are removed it is eaten whole, skin and all.  The season for kumquats lasts from about November through March. In the United States they mostly grow in Florida.

Though we live in Michigan, kumquats have been part of our Christmas tradition since I was little girl. My dad discovered them in the grocery store, and used them to create a "fancy" drink for the kids.

Things really took off when we discovered we could buy 5 and 10 pound boxes of kumquats from www.kumquatgrowers.com. We started experimenting with all the things we could do with kumquats. We've made everything from kumquat cookies, bread, and ice cream, to kumquat hot sauce.

Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to do much cooking this Christmas, so that left me with a lot of leftover kumquats. My solution? Kumquat marmalade!




- 5 cups chopped and seeded kumquats (I like to use the food processor for this. First cut them in half and take out the seeds, then put them in the processor. It will smell absolutely wonderful when you open the lid!)
-  pulp of 2 oranges
- 5 cups water
- 1 package reduced sugar pectin. ( I like to make my jams and marmalades reduced sugar because I feel the sweetness in full sugar recipes overpowers the flavor of the fruit.)
- 4 cups of sugar

In a large pot combine kumquats, water, and oranges. Cook until reduced by half. (10 cups turns into 5 cups.)

Add one package of reduced sugar pectin and four cups of sugar. Bring to a rolling boil and let it boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

Ladle into sterile jars and seal.  For canning new comers, some canning basics can be found here.

* A few notes. I typically do not process my jars when making jams and marmalade. The USDA recommends processing for at least five minutes. Also, the canning link above says to never boil your lids or they might not seal. I have always boiled my lids and have never had a problem with my lids sealing. Just remember that if you have a jar that doesn't seal to put it in the fridge and eat it first!