Wake up your taste buds with this refreshing and aromatic kumquat jam (marmalade) with orange blossom water.
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I have professed on my blog before about my love affair with jam. Nothing makes me smile more than a jar of sweet, fruity jam. No matter how many diets I go on, my ultimate breakfast food is toast with cream cheese and jam.
Jam. Jam. Jam. And it’s not just for summer fruit.
My daughter loves kumquats. They are in season now and are truly a wonderful snack for the kiddos. You can pop them in your mouth, easily enough.
They are incredibly portable and travel well. And their bright orange color make them happy and very appealing. So why not make some kumquat marmalade!
Why you have to make this recipe
If you are a jam fan, then you probably have an orange marmalade in your rotation of jams that grace your table. This kumquat jam is even better than a traditional marmalade.
Orange marmalade is made with the outer zest of the orange. This kumquat marmalade uses the whole fruit. The entire kumquat is edible.
The kumquat skin is deliciously sweet while the fruit and juice inside is tart. It makes an incredible combination in your mouth! And it makes an incredible jam.
You can use for your breakfast toast or afternoon scone. And yes, you can even enjoy it straight out of the jar.
Ingredients you need
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- Kumquats: The star of this jam is fresh kumquats. Make sure your kumquats are flavorful by tasting them alone first.
- Granulated sugar: I primarily use granulated sugar when making jams and preserves. You can use honey, but you will need to experiment to get the exact quantity of honey you will need in your jam by tasting it as it cooks.
- Orange blossom water: I like to add a touch of floral by adding some orange blossom water to this jam. You can find it at middle eastern stores or online. This optional and can be omitted if you do not want to use it.
Tools to Use
Step-by-step directions
1. Prep the kumquats. Wash and clean the kumquats, removing stems and any fruit that is damaged. Cut kumquats in half and remove seeds. Kumquats have several seeds.
2. Add fruit to a pot. Slice halved kumquats into rings and place in a nonreactive saucepan. Heat saucepan over medium heat and stir in water and sugar until dissolved.
3. Simmer. Once mixture starts to foam and boil, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. Remove foam and scum that rises to the top.
5. Finish and cool. Remove from heat, then stir in orange blossom water. Transfer to sanitized canning jars or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Recipe tips and FAQs
If you are only making a jar or two of kumquat marmalade, just store it in the refrigerator. It lasts for a month or two in the refrigerator, that is if you don’t eat it all up before then.
You can also use freezer safe containers and freeze your extra jam. If you hot water can your marmalade, it is recommended that it be used within a year. Canning your jam using hot water is a very easy technique. I have instructions on how to can with hot water here.
This kumquat jam can be used like any marmalade or jelly. Spread it on your toast, bagel or scone. Use it as a filling in thumbprint cookies. Serve it on a charcuterie board. It is also often brushed onto fruit tarts. You can also roast chicken or pork brushed with orange marmalade.
If you are looking for a loquat recipe, loquats are NOT kumquats. They aren’t even in the same fruit family. But fear not. Here is a delicious and easy loquat jam recipe you can try.
Kumquats seem to confuse people. They look like oranges in their bright orange peels, but are the size of a large olive. Kumquats stand out in the citrus family because the entire fruit, skin and all, is edible. The kumquat skin is deliciously sweet while the fruit and juice inside is tart. It makes an incredible combination in your mouth!
Kumquats do have seeds and they are edible. But, I personally, do not like the large seeds and do not eat them. When cooking or baking with kumquats, I usually remove all seeds first.
Some people think you must use pectin to make the jam thick. If you are making a jelly, like my pomegranate jelly, it is mostly juice and sugar. For this to turn into jelly, you do need to add pectin.
If you are an experienced jam maker, then you have probably added lemon zest and lemon juice to the mixture as well. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and kumquats are high in pectin – naturally. This is why they are added to jams to naturally add all the pectin you need.
Kumquat (Jam) Marmalade with Orange Blossom Water
Wake up your taste buds with this refreshing and aromatic kumquat (jam) marmalade with orange blossom water.
Ingredients
- 12 oz kumquats
- 1 ½ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
Instructions
- Cut kumquats in half and remove seeds.
- Slice halved kumquats into rings and place in a nonreactive saucepan.
- Heat saucepan over medium heat and stir in water and sugar until dissolved.
- Once mixture starts to foam and boil, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until mixture thickens, about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from heat, then stir in orange blossom water.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Cooking Tips: You can substitute orange blossom water with rose water, or skip altogether.
If you are not canning your jam, a batch of kumquat jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to three months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 41Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 0g
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I love to make and eat kumquat marmalade – I get many requests for gift jars, too. I have found by slicing my kumquats in half around the “equator” I am able to get almost all the seeds out. Instead of slicing in rings I cook the halves until softened and then use my immersion blender to do a “rustic” chop. I get nice chunks of kumquats in my jams and so much less work doing it.
This looks LOVELY!!! As soon as I can find some kumquats around here, I am making it.
Gorgeous.
Yum.
Yum!
I haven’t done much jam this year because I’m the only one who eats it and sometimes I can’t justify cooking just for me. I haven’t made kumquat marmalade since I lived in Orlando. 🙂
Never had kumquat marmalade/jam, but love the idea. And I saw some great kumquats in the store the other day. Hmmmm . . . 😉
Dear Laura,
kumquats marmelade is almost my favorite. Besides, remind me my grandmother who had 3 or 4 trees of kumquats in her courtyard (how many times I ate this little fruit directly from them!!)
Hoy lovely memories….
Thanks for sharing with us your recipe.
Hugs,
Marisa
That’s such a beautiful memory, Marisa. There is nothing sweeter than plucking kumquats from the tree and enjoying them right away!