Thursday, July 9, 2020

Pickled Cumquats




Those were the days when most backyards had a cumquat tree. Nowadays, a lot of people keep their ornamental cumquat trees in tubs on patios and verandahs, however when grown in the open in the ground, the trees flourish and provide fruit for many jars of marmalade, as well as a beautiful screen and windbreak. One of my fondest childhood memories is of the bountiful, compact cumquat tree in our backyard, and then my industrious Mother making bottles and bottles of cumquat jam which always thickened and turned out perfectly. The blossom on the tree is also highly perfumed, a magnet for bees, birds and insects alike. It is a native tree of China, and is not a perfect citrus fruit. Real citrus have 8-15 sections, whilst cumquats have only  3-6 sections. Considering its size, I'm not surprised, are you?



Cumquat marmalade on toast is synonymous with a delicious leisurely breakfast. I was given 500g of cumquats this week, so decisions decisions. How should I use them? As much as we love cumquat preserve, I wanted to try something different. Stephanie Alexander's idea of pickling cumquats enticed me, as she says that then after several weeks of pickling, these little gems can be used to flavour a roast chicken or duck beautifully, and a tablespoon of the vinegar can be used to deglaze the baking dish before adding a glass of wine for stock.The cumquats and the juices can also be made into a cumquat butter, and frozen until ready for use. I have to wait several weeks now for the pickling to process, and then I can start experimenting with my pickled cumquats. I am pretty excited about doing something really different with them. If I manage to track down some more cumquats this season at the markets, I will brandy them, so I am really hoping that will eventuate as well.  

Have you pickled or brandied cumquats before or do you prefer to make marmalade? The good thing about working with cumquats is that they only require a good wash and don't need to be peeled before using them.



Ingredients:

500 g cumquats, washed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick cinnamon
600 ml water
150 g castor sugar
1 teaspoon cloves
600 ml white wine vinegar

Method:

Dissolve salt in water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over cumquats in a bowl and stand for 12 hours. Drain.

Simmer sugar and spices in vinegar until sugar has dissolved. Simmer a further 5 minutes. Carefully pack cumquats into a hot sterilised jar, then pour in boiling vinegar syrup and seal. Store in a cool place. Leave for several weeks before using. Both the pickling syrup and the cumquats can be used.





Thanks for dropping by, 
  
Best wishes, 

Pauline








20 comments:

  1. We LOVE LOVE cumquats, never tried the pickled one though. They have such a distinctive aroma and taste that no other citrus fruits could ever compete. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Pauline.

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    1. Thanks Angie, They are certainly a unique kind of fruit with so much flavour. I hope you can buy them where you are. Best wishes, Pauline

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  2. I have never tried them, but pickled ones looks so good! I bet they are so delicious ☺

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    1. Thanks Natalia, I hope the pickled ones will be as delicious as promised, particularly in cooking. I will do something interesting with them when they are ready and write to you all.Cheers, Pauline

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  3. Hi Pauline
    What an interesting idea. I will keep a look out for them. With the marmalade do you also use the whole fruit?
    Cheerso

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    1. Yes you do Bernie, the seeds contain the pectin for the thickening, and the whole fruit is chopped up for marmalade. It really is delicious. If you would like a good recipe I can send you one.I am hoping to find some more cumquats so I can make a batch of marmalade. They are a precious commodity. Hope you and family are well. Thanks, Pauline

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    2. Thank you Pauline I would appreciate it if you could send me the cumquat marmalade recipe. Cheers Bernie

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    3. Bernie, I'm not sure how to send this recipe to you as I don't have your email address, so I might just type it up as as blog post, knowing that it is a tried and true recipe, but with no recent photo:)

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  4. The thought of "Cumquat marmalade on toast" made my mouth water. I love marmalade. It must be nice to have a cumquat tree.

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    1. Thanks Liberty Belle, nice to hear from you. I don't have a cumquat tree now unfortunately, I was gifted these cumquats but it's just a matter of time before I invest in another one. Cumquat Marmalade is the best. Cheers, Pauline

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  5. I don’t think I’ve ever had cumquats. The pickle sounds delicious.

    I searched and found your passion fruit curd recipe. I’ve been collecting passion fruits to make a small quantity of curd. 😊

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    1. Enjoy your passion fruit curd Nil, hope it turns out well. Also delicious on toast or in small tartlets.
      Great to hear from you, Keep well, Pauline x

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  6. i've made cumquat marmalade a couple of times - the first was chopping them up and de-seeding etc and it took forever!! the next time, i just chopped them in half and in they went. turned out beautifully! i think it's my fave marmalade. pickled sounds good too.

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    1. Thanks Sherry, yes it is quite time consuming, and jam makers appreciate how precious it is. Hey that's amazing that you cooked them just halved for marmalade. If I had plenty of them I would give that a go.

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  7. I love kumquats and make marmalade or pickles when I get them. But my best way is to just pop them into my mouth and eat the entire fruit.

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    1. Thanks Tandy, I know there is a variety of cumquats that are quite edible but the majority that we see are too sour to just eat whole. Perhaps you would like those though, I guess it's what you are used to.

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  8. I bought comquats once in the supermarket because they looked so cute. I couldn't quite understand how to eat them because they taste was so strong. Thanks for all the suggestions. Maybe I will buy some again and try.

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  9. Thanks Judee, nice to hear from you. We have such a short window of availability here so I hope you can manage to find some. They give such a unique flavour to everything I do with them.

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  10. Pauline, I have fond memories of grabbing a handful of kumquat’s from the tree in our back yard when I was young. We would pop them in our mouth and enjoy the somewhat sweet peel and spit out the sour pulp. I'm not sure I've ever had them pickled, but would like to.

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    1. Great to hear from you Ron. Pickling these little beauties is the easiest thing to do, can't wait to try the results. Never ate them as a kid as my Mum wanted them all for her jams. Stay safe. hope you are enjoying your Summer.

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