Took a week off before starting a new job. My friend sent me a text saying it was time to pick citrus! I was there with bowl in hand in 15 minutes!! My buddy Tera came out and filled this bowl FULL of citrus. In this bowl are Red Grapefruit, Calmondin Kumquats, Sour Kumquats, Verigated Kumquats, Tangerines, and Sweet Kumquats! I called my wife and told her I was bringing home some fruit. She could not believe all this came from only 3 or 4 trees....small trees! The grapefruit smells sooooooo amazing!

So, I got my canner out and all the supplies. Washed the kumquats, poked the blossom end and canned 4 quarts of kumquats. My wife said, she doesn't understand why I get pleasure in canning. But I do!!!

Wow, looks great!  What's your new job?  Are you still going to be in NO and Charlotte?

Can you share the recipe for those canned kumquats?

Kyle

Bob, I will still be working in Charlotte....just a different company.

Kyle, all I can share is the recipe has water, sugar, salt, vanilla bean, and Brandy. The Brandy I like to use is very smooth. The alcohol burns out but gives these kumquats a nice flavor! I also used raw sugar, not the white bleached sugar. These quarter jars are pretty big. It took 25 minutes to process them inside a water bath. Tomorrow I'm giving 2 jars to my friend Mike and Tara. It's the least I can do----sharing half my product with them.

Saturday I will be make kumquats and red grapefruit marmalade. I have plenty kumquats left on my tree still. Well, they are coming off tomorrow!

Dennis,
Man-o-man, you make some of the most interesting things to eat. I would love to try many of the things you make and post about, good work! My wife doesn't understand my drive to preserve foods either.

Every time I can something, I always place a sample in the fridge before opening a jar.   I place a small jar of the kumquats in the fridge and yesterday, the wife and I tried a few.  Well, I ended up eating all of them!  My wife poured the syrup on a bowl of vanilla ice cream.   

Man ole Man....I tell you what!  You wanna talk about good!!  #CAPSLOCKOMG!  Its like eating candy that's not too sweet with an after taste of tangy cream orange at the end!  I almost passed out eating them!  Glad to have 2 half gallon jars in the fridge!

I can kumquat marmalade when I see them at the market. Good stuff.

Dennis, your description is so visual I'm drooling.  Great job! 

How else can you extend the pleasure for months without  preserving in some way.

Thanks for sharing.

Dennis, what kind of Brandy do you like?  I assume you boil it before pouring in to jars?  Any idea how long?  Thanks.

Ha! Shirley.

Hey Bob, I only buy the best. E&J X.O Extra Smooth. It's one of the most expensive brands here in Charlotte. And yes, I boil the kumquats first for only a few minutes. Then I remove the kumquats and let the syrup boil on for 15 or so minutes. The canning process time depends on the size of jars used. These jars are half gallon jars and they boil for around 20 minutes.

With the polar vortex coming, I just picked the last 2 pounds of fruit including indingo kumquats. This time I'll can these in pints.

Thanks!

Dennis, that looks soooooo good! Can you post the recipe with instructions, if its not too much trouble? Kumquotes are great! I have even made salsa with them!