Kumquat Jam

Kumquat Jam offers the ideal balance of sweet and tart, and making it at home is satisfying and surprisingly simple.

Kumquats, sometimes spelt cumquats in Australia, are tiny, tangy citrus fruits, and while they might be less common than oranges or lemons, they pack a punch of flavour that's perfect for preserves.

This recipe calls for just three ingredients and gives you all the tips and tricks you need to make a jam that'll impress your family and friends – if you decide to share it.

Jump to:

• Ingredient notes
• How to make Kumquat Jam
• Storing your jam
• More jam recipes
• Kumquat Jam

Ingredient notes

That's right, you just need kumquats, caster sugar (superfine sugar) and water.

Ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to choose kumquats for jam

Kumquats are typically in season from late autumn to early spring. Buy them during this peak season for the freshest, most flavourful fruit.

You can buy them in fruit stores during this time, or find a neighbour with a kumquat tree!

The best fruit:

• is a bright orange or deep golden colour
• should be firm but not hard
• has a smooth, glossy skin
• has a subtle, citrusy aroma.

How to make Kumquat Jam

TIP (read before you start): When following this recipe, keep in mind that the juiciness and quality of the fruit, the pan you use and the intensity of the boiling will all have an impact on the time that's required for the jam to reach setting point (that's when your jam can be taken off the heat and will have jam-like consistency once it sets). Therefore, it is impossible to give precise cooking times. I provide a time guide only and describe what the mixture should look like when it's ready. So pay careful attention to the descriptions as you follow the steps.

Equipment

Before starting, make sure you have:

• a stewing pan or large frypan
• a tea infuser or small piece of muslin cloth (to contain the seeds)
• sterilised jars with lids (to hold about 2 cups of jam).

Preparing the fruit

Wash and dry your kumquats. Slice them into about 5 pieces (about 4-5mm wide), removing the small seeds and retaining them (see image 1).

Place the seeds into a tea infuser or tie them up in a small piece of muslin cloth – you're going to boil them along with the fruit and then remove, so keeping them contained helps with easily removing them.

Why boil the seeds with the fruit? The seeds are naturally high in pectin, a soluble fiber with a powerful gelling ability that helps the jam set.

Making jam

Place the infuser or cloth containing the seeds into the pan long with sliced kumquats. Pour enough water into the pan to cover the fruit (see image 2).

Bring to the boil and boil steadily for 30 minutes (see image 3). Top up with a little water if it appears the water will completely evaporate.

By the end of the boiling time, the fruit should be starting to look translucent and the mixture should be sloppy but not watery (see image 4).

Take the mixture off the heat. Remove the seeds and add the sugar (see image 5).

Stir until the sugar starts to dissolve and then return to the heat. Continue stirring until sugar has completely dissolved (see image 6).

Bring to a simmer and simmer until the jam reaches setting point – this should take about 10 minutes.

The best indicator of setting point, though, is when the mixture looks shiny and "grabs" the bottom of the pan a little as you stir (if you drag wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan you can see the bottom of the pan briefly as you do this) (see image 7).

Pour hot mixture into sterilised jars and seal immediately with lids.

Storing your jam

I store my kumquat jam, once cooled, in the fridge for up to a few months.

To store in the pantry, unopened, please do your own research on canning and preserving as there are too many variables to provide hard and fast rules here.

More jam recipes

Some more of the (more unusual) jam recipes:

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