Kumquat Marmalade

muffy

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I never had a kumquat but would love to try some kumquat marmalade. Good luck with the receipe. I believe they are something like small oranges.

I think kumquat is the funniest word in the english language. I don't care for W C Fields but I saw him in a scene from a movie where he was buying some kumquats. It was so funny I was rolling on the floor laughing.
 
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furmonster mom

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I never had a kumquat... I believe they are something like small oranges.
They look look small oranges, but the flavor can be an unexpected surprise.
First, you need to know that you eat the whole thing all at once… rind and all.
The inside is extremely tart, almost like lemon, and the rind is actually the sweet, orangey part.
So by eating the whole thing, you will get a blast of sour from the fruit, followed by the sweet of the rind.
It’s like eating an orangey lemon. 🍊🍋
 
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furmonster mom

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Marmalade is not your only option. I've made kumquat aigre doux. Also brandied kumquats.
😲🤔

Might have to consider that for the second harvest in a couple weeks.
My uncle has a tree that had a weak harvest the last couple years, so he was talking about “retiring“ it.
It must have heard him talking, ‘cause this year it is loaded! 😂
 
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furmonster mom

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Well, made 3 batches, one of each flavor.
I love the chili. It’s just enough heat to sneak up on ya.
The mango is super sweet, more my mom’s style.
The ginger came out surprisingly subtle. I say surprisingly because the ginger was a stronger note before cooking. But the flavor definitely fell to the background afterwards. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My trial recipe, using the natural pectin from the seeds, did not set up nicely. It’s not liquid, but it’s definitely softer than I wanted. It’ll be good for mixing into my yogurt. 😊

So, I dug up my Blue Ribbon Preserves, and went with a recipe that used liquid pectin. Much nicer set, but a lot sweeter due to more sugar.

So, off to the store again, to get the low sugar pectin, which apparently only comes in dry form, which means a bit different process.
In reading the recipe on the instruction pamphlet, it looks like I’ll only be reducing the sugar by 1 cup. However, I’ll be using about 1 1/2 cup more fruit. So, fingers crossed that will make a difference.

I still have A LOT of kumquats to get through.

I’m thinking I should try cinnamon for a batch… 🤔
 

catapault

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I have no idea about substituting monkfruit for sugar but seriously doubt it would work. Chemistry of gelling in sweet preserves is an interaction of pectin, sugar, and acid.

What you making - marmalade is the easiest type of sweet fruit preserves to make, jelly is the trickiest, jam or fruit butter somewhere in-between.

If you never made kunquat marmalade before I would suggest trying the simplest recipe using just kumquats and sugar with perhaps a little lemon juice for added acidity. After you have that recipe reliably providing a good gel, then you can tweak it.

Commercially prepared pectin is available in grocery stores, as either a liquid or in powdered form to be used in making jams and jellies. When these are used, it is important to follow the specific recipes provided for a particular product – you cannot use a recipe given for the powder if you are using the liquid, and vice versa. The powder formulation is available in both a standard and also - as you mentioned - a lower sugar formulation.
 
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furmonster mom

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I would say that with 4 batches under my belt now, I’m getting a pretty good idea on how it works. 😉

I was just wondering about the monkfruit because in the “low sugar” pectin pamphlet they have recipes for using Splenda.
However, they are specific for certain berries, not oranges. So… guess it wouldn’t’ work for my purposes anyway. 😊

I will say, I have been enjoying the learning process and experimenting a bit.
 
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lizzie

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I make an orange/lemon marmalade several times during the year so we always have it on hand,and I do use sugar but never pectin.The recipe I have calls for the mixture to be simmered till it reaches 222 on a candy thermometer,which they call a soft set.It's neither runny or overly firm,which we love.Have you ever tried making yours without pectin?
 
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furmonster mom

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I make an orange/lemon marmalade several times during the year so we always have it on hand,and I do use sugar but never pectin.The recipe I have calls for the mixture to be simmered till it reaches 222 on a candy thermometer,which they call a soft set.It's neither runny or overly firm,which we love.Have you ever tried making yours without pectin?
That sounds similar to the first trial recipe I tried.

Unfortunately, since I live at a higher elevation, it’s really difficult to get that high temperature without resorting to pressure cooking, which would just turn it into mush. I used a thermometer on that first batch, and with my burner cranked all the way up I still couldn’t get it above 211°. 🤷🏻‍♀️
 
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furmonster mom

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I think I just made Christmas in a jar

Kumquats simmered low and slow with cinnamon sticks, whole star anise, and ginger root.
Removed aromatics when rinds started to tenderize. Added a dash of ground cinnamon and ground ginger.
Processed with pectin and sugar….

Seriously. It tastes like Christmas. 😋
 
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Well, I got nearly 4 dozen half pints done.
And that was just the first harvest!

Today I tackled the grapefruit. Plan is to can the fruit in a light syrup. Peeling and scraping the pith, was sooooo tedious. I got to thinking there has got to be a better way! And of course, there apparently is. Anyone ever used something called Pectinex?
 
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