We have a really happy Nagami Kumquat Tree that lives in a big pot on our patio. It provides beautiful tiny fruit every year in early summer. Bill recently harvested the abundant fruit. Kumquats are considered a super-fruit, filled with anti-oxidants. I thought I’d try making jam for the first time ever. I found the most wonderful recipe. I revised it and have included it below. I cut back on sugar by two-thirds. We are so glad I did because the jam is so flavorful. We are going to make another batch!
The Nagami Kumquat Tree is simple to grow because it’s drought-tolerant, and pest and disease resistant. Instead of the pulp, the sweetest part of the fruit is actually the peel. That is why I decided to keep the chopped peel in my jam. Having a candy thermometer made it so easy.
Recipe for Kumquat Jam:
Ingredients: 3 cups of chopped, deseeded kumquats (save the seeds; see why below) + 6 cups of water + 3 cups of sugar (try to use less white/less processed sugar)
Chop up kumquats, collecting seeds in a small bowl. You will be placing the seeds into a small food safe mesh or cheesecloth bag. I used a large unbleached teabag that one can use for steeping loose tea in a pot. The seeds work such magic! They contain pectic, which allows the jam to set naturally. Place the chopped kumquats and water in a heavy pot on the kitchen counter. Let the seeds hang into the kumquats and water and place the lid on to keep the top of the bag of seeds from submerging. I soaked the seeds in the pot for about 20 hours. You want to soak for at least 8 hours, but longer is more effective.
Remove the bag after soaking and squeeze all liquid into pot. Slowly bring kumquats and water to a boil, then stir and reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes.
Then stir in sugar, bringing contents of pot to a rolling boil for 30 to 45 minutes. You need to boil the mixture until it reaches the setting point (220F or 105C on your candy thermometer).
Rinse your glass jars with boiling water and ladle jam into jars. We planned to eat the jam within a couple of weeks, so we let the jam cool and then covered with little dishes and placed in refrigerator. This jam is good on toast, yogurt, or between two layer of a cake with cream.