Cooking kumquats in a bit of diluted honey and canning them harnesses their tempting sweet-tart flavor for use when their all-too-short season in late winter and early spring is over. I like them spooned over yogurt or ricotta or ice cream - a few toasted, chopped walnuts don't hurt either. They're also tasty on pancakes or waffles. The kumquat-honey syrup in the jar also works as a tasty glaze for ham or roasted pork.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Yield: 6 pints of Preserved Kumquats
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. kumquats
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups honey
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 half-pint jars (or 3 pint jars), sterilized
Preparation:
- Bring a canning kettle full of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, cut off the stems from the kumquats. Either poke a small hole or two in each kumquat with a skewer or toothpick for pretty whole fruits or cut the kumquats in half and remove any seeds for less elegant halves with seeds already removed.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water, honey, and sugar just to a boil. Add the kumquats and bring the mixture back just to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook, skimming off any foam that develops, until the kumquats are tender, about 25 minutes for halves and 40 minutes for whole kumquats.
- Transfer the hot kumquats into the sterile half-pint or pint jars and screw on the lids. Hot-water process the jars in the canning kettle for 10 minutes.
- Remove the jars and let them cool before storing them in a cool, dark place for up to six months. Once a jar is opened, keep it in the refrigerator.
