Kumquat Marmalade-Marmlad Bigarad- is my preferred marmalade for a very good reason – I think it encapsulates the flavours and textures of a fruit like no other and, to top it off, it absolutely beams with an amazing colour.
- 1 kg Kumquats, washed
- 1 litre water
- 2 tsp grated orange rind
- 1.5 kg white sugar
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Slice Kumquats in rondels and remove the seeds as you go along and keep.
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Place the sliced kumquats in a large pot
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Place a small plate in the freezer to be used to test your marmalade.
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Use a muslin cloth to wrap up all the seeds and tie with kitchen string to make a bundle, leaving one length of string quite long. Place the small bag into the pot, using the string to tie onto the handle outside the pot, so it's easy to pull out later. ( note 1)
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Add the water to the pot and bring to a rapid simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently, covered, until rind is soft. Depending on how thick the kumquat skin is, and how thin you've cut it, this takes anywhere between 25- 50 minutes.
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Check regularly after the 25 minute mark - if it's still got a bit of bite, leave for another 10 minutes and then check again
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Once rind is soft, remove the muslin bag, squeeze out the excess juice (careful: hot!) and discard.
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Add the sugar and stir to dissolve completely. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for about 30 to 45 minutes stirring occasionally( note 6).The rolling boil is crucial to ensure that the sugar and pectin gel properly. The less sugar, you use, the longer it will need to boil to reach the setting point
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In the mantime, sterilise your jars by filling a large pot 3/4 full with water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Place your jars into the boiling water and make sure the water covers the jars by at least 5 cm. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the lids and leave everything in the pot until the marmalade is ready. ( note 4)
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To test if jam is ready, grab the plate from the freezer, drop a teaspoon of marmalade on it, stick it back in the freezer and wait one minute. Remove plate from the freezer and drag your finger through the marmalade. If it wrinkles, it's ready to jar. If it doesn't, simmer jam for another 5-10 minutes, and repeat the process. Do not overcook the marmalade because it can burn and you’ll be left with a caramelized mess!
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Once your marmalade wrinkles, it's ready to be poured into jars. Remove marmalade from the heat and let it settle for 5 minutes
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Using a clean spoon, remove and discard the scum that collects around the edges of the pan. Carefully spoon hot marmalade into the glass jars. Lid them and let cool!
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This jam will last in a cool, dark place for 12 months, refrigerate after opening.
- You may decide to collect the seeds, place them in small bowl with about 250ml of the water, stand overnight. Next day, strain seeds, reserve liquid (this now contains pectin, which contributes to the setting of the jam); discard the seeds. This process may not be necessary because there is enough pectin in the skin of the kumquats to make it set.
- The less sugar you use, the longer it will need to boil to reach the setting point.
- If your kumquats have no seeds or very small seeds do not worry, your marmalade will still set because there is enough pectin in the skin to make it set.
- You can also sterilise your jars by placing them on a tray and leave in a 100 degree C oven for 20 minutes.
- You can also test the readiness of the marmalade by placing a teaspoon of the mixture onto the chilled plate and allowing it to sit for 30 seconds. Tilt the plate. The mixture should be a soft gel that moves slightly. If mixture is thin and runs easily, it is not ready.
- Another thing to bear in mind, is not to continuously stir the marmalade once the sugar is added as it will cool the marmalade and setting point will be difficult to reach – just stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Make sure you are using wide large pan (rather than tall slim pot). The larger the pot, the wider the area of the marmalade mixture, which helps with boiling down and reducing (evaporating) the marmalade to perfect thick texture.