Kumquat jam is a sweet and exotic alternative to orange marmalade. To make it, pick ripe kumquats, taste them to judge sweetness, and use orange juice instead of water for extra flavor. Cut kumquats into small pieces and simmer for 1-3 hours, chill, add sugar if necessary, and reheat for 30-45 minutes. Pour into clean jars while hot.
Kumquat jam is a sweet and exotic alternative to regular orange marmalade. It is typically slightly more toasty than its orange cousin, but has the same crystal orange color and thick texture. While kumquat jam is relatively easy to make, there are a few tips for making a delicious batch almost every time. Pick perfectly ripe kumquats, taste the kumquats to judge sweetness, and add flavor by using orange juice instead of water.
Picking ripe kumquats is one of the most important steps in making kumquat jam. About the size of a man’s thumb, these sweet little fruits should be bright orange and give slightly when squeezed. They should also smell fresh and clean, leaving no traces of softness or sharpness. A musty smell may indicate overripe fruit, while sharpness indicates green fruit. Green kumquats often have a sour taste, while overripe fruit can give kumquat jam a cloying, mushy taste.
Tasting the fruit is another integral part of making kumquat jam. Eating a kumquat or two usually helps a cook judge how sweet they are, which allows him to regulate the amount of sugar needed. A very sweet batch of kumquats may need no sugar, while a relatively acidic batch may need double the usual amount.
After tasting, the cook can cut the kumquats into very small pieces. Cooks would have to cut the seeds out of kumquats, but the skin is usually as sweet and edible as the flesh. The next step is to pour the kumquat slices into a large enamel or stainless steel pot with liquid to simmer them. Aluminum pans should generally be avoided because they can impart a metallic taste to kumquat jam.
Mixing about 3 parts liquid with about 4 parts kumquat slices usually works well. Some cooks use water, but substituting orange juice typically gives kumquat jam a lot of extra flavor. Freshly squeezed or store-bought orange juice can be used, leaving in or straining the pulp as desired. The only requirement is that the orange juice be properly proportioned with the kumquats.
Once in the pot, kumquat jam typically needs to simmer for 1-3 hours or until the skins of the kumquats are easy to cut with the edge of a metal spoon. At this point, the mix should chill for up to 10 hours, usually overnight, to allow for a slight thickening. After the mixture is very cold, the cook can bring it back to a boil and add sugar if necessary. The jam should thicken to a jam-like consistency after 30 to 45 minutes of reheating. The cook can then pour the finished jam into clean jars while the mixture is still hot.
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