We recently moved into a sweet little house with plenty of citrus trees. Among these is a bright and cheerful kumquat tree. Kumquats are often eaten raw and have a sweet edible rind and tart juicy center. Known to bring good luck and prosperity, I wanted to honor these little gems by making a kumquat marmalade to share with you!
Kumquat fruits are only in season during certain times of the year depending where you live. Ripe kumquats should be yellow to bright orange in color and give slightly when squeezed. California kumquats are at their peak March through May but this marmalade makes it possible to enjoy their unique taste year-round.
{Kumquat Marmalade} Recipe
- 34 kumquats
- 1 orange (to add depth to the citrus flavor)
- 7 cups water
- 5 cups granulated sugar
- Juice of 2 Meyer lemons
Note: There is no need to add commercial pectin to this recipe. The natural pectin present in the citrus peels, combined with the sugar and the acidity of lemon juice, ensures a good gel.
- Wash the whole kumquats and the orange.
- Slice the whole kumquats into fine slivers, removing and discarding any seeds as you go. Do the same with the orange.
- Measure the sliced kumquats together with the orange and any juice that came out while you were slicing the fruit. Transfer the measured fruit and juice into a large, non-reactive (stainless steel) pot. Stir in 2 cups water for every cup of fruit and juice. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 4 hours (overnight is okay too).
- Sterilize your canning jars. Meanwhile, bring the fruit and water mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the peels are translucent and very tender, about 1 hour.
- Measure the cooked fruit mixture. Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar for each cup of the cooked fruit. Add the lemon juice. Bring all of the ingredients to a boil over high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Continue to boil over high heat, stirring frequently, until the marmalade reaches the jell point. Turn off the heat. Skim off any foam on the surface.
- Ladle the hot marmalade into the sterilized canning jars. Leave at least 1/2-inch of head space between the surface of the marmalade and the rims of the jars. Screw on canning lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.
- Once the jars have sealed, store kumquat marmalade away from direct light or heat. It will keep for at least a year. Opened jars must be stored in the refrigerator, where they will keep for several months.
Note: marmalades are unusual among sweet preserves in that they will continue to “set up” for days, even weeks after they cool in the jars. If your just-cooled marmalade seems slightly runnier than you’d like, try waiting for 2 weeks to see if it reaches a firm jell. Recipe source.
{A Sensible Habit} Canning Stamp Giveaway
The adorable stamps pictured in this post were designed by Brandy Schuman of A Sensible Habit. Brandy has a lovely collection of stamps to label your precious goods with style and charm. They can be used as hang tags or stamped on paper rounds to slip under the lids. These labels are precut, recyclable, and are made from 100% recycled material.
A Sensible Habit is generously offering Natureal Mom readers a chance to win one of the darling canning stamps pictured below valued at $44 USD.
To enter to win the giveaway, please follow the below easy steps.
- Leave a comment via the comment form at the bottom of this post. This is REQUIRED in order to be eligible for a chance to win. Please be sure to submit a valid email address when entering.
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- The giveaway will remain open until midnight PST on June 6, 2013. The winner will be selected at random and announced at the bottom of this post. Prize must be claimed within 72 hours. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. Good luck! ♥
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Congratulations to winner Jennie Schacht!!!
If you didn’t win, don’t fret - A Sensible Habit is generously offering Natureal Mom readers 15% off sitewide now through June 20th (excluding wedding items) at http://www.asensiblehabit.com/shop. Be sure to enter code natureal15 at checkout! Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway!
A Sensible Habit provided the stamps for me to use and photograph for this post at no cost to me. They are also providing the giveaway stamp at no cost. They did not pay for inclusion in this post and my opinions are entirely my own.