A simple kumquat marmalade recipe with no preservatives used.

What are Kumquats?

These tiny miniature fruits that closely resemble oranges are known as Kumquats.
They are native plant from China.
In chinese, kum means golden and quat means orange.

These little gold oranges is about the size of a grape or an olive.
That is how small it is.

What do kumquat fruits taste like?

Kumquat is eaten whole, skin, flesh and some do eat the seeds (but I don't!).
The sweetness of kumquat is in its skin or peel.
The flesh is sour.

So eating kumquat whole, balances off the flavour of sweet, tart and refreshing.

One point to note, the longer you leave the kumquat on the tree, the skin will turn to deep orange, and the sweeter the flesh will be.

Do you peel the skin like one would peel an orange?

No.
You eat it whole.

What are Kumquats used for?

Pickled in salt

My daughter pickled some kumquats in salt, but in the end we just throw them away.
I used some of these salt pickled kumquats for cooking especially in steaming fish, we much prefer preserved lemons to preserved kumquat!

Kumquat in syrup

I cooked whole kumquat in both honey and sugar to enjoy with some carbonated spring water.
Honest be told, nothing to shout about either!

Kumquat Marmalade

My favourite, marmalade!!

Most used kumquat for marmalade, and I am sharing with you now.

How to make Kumquat Marmalade?

A full list of ingredients and method is listed in the recipe card below.

These quick pictorial gives you glimpse of the process.

What if I do not have a thermometer?

Not to worry! When kumquat marmalade is thick, has a little shine or gloss and the kumquat peel has turn into nice bright orange colour, and when you stir the marmalade, you will be able to see (briefly) the base of your pot!
Thats it, your have kumquat marmalade!
One of many reason I used white pot!

How to store Kumquat marmalade?

Store kumquat marmalade in a sterilised jars and keep them refrigerated.
Watch my Kumquat Marmalade video on how to sterilised jars.

Can I freeze my marmalade?

Yes you can freeze them.
Once cooled, placed them straight in the freezer. This will extend its shelf life.

I placed a bottle of kumquat marmalade in the freezer since early of 2021.
And in November 2021, I took out the kumquat marmalade from my freezer, and guess what!!! the marmalade is still as good as the day I made them.

There you go, you can freeze marmalade!