KUMQUAT SEASON RECIPES

Steps:

• Quarter kumquats lengthwise; cut off white center membrane and remove seeds. Slice quarters into small pieces.
• Place kumquats into a pot. Add lemon zest (white part only), lemon juice, pinch cayenne, star anise, sugar, and water. Mix together. Cover and let sit at room temperature 2 or 3 hours to allow fruit to macerate. Or you can refrigerate overnight.
• Place pot over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir occasionally for 10 minutes. Continuing cooking and stirring often until mixture is thick enough so that if you scrape a spatula across the bottom of the pan, you can briefly see the bottom of the pan before marmalade spreads back out, 30 to 40 minutes. Mixture should reach a temperature of 215 to 220 degrees F (120 to 125 degrees C). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Spoon warm marmalade into sterilized jars. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Steps:

• Rinse kumquats; cut in half and remove seeds. Place in a food processor; process until coarsely chopped., In a Dutch oven, combine kumquats and water. Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar; return to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir 1 minute., Remove from heat; skim off foam. Ladle hot mixture into seven hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight., Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.