Wednesday 18 January 2012

10 things

Big bag of kumquats

  • I have a big bag of kumquats and no idea what to do with them.  We tried eating them raw but they are horrid.
  • I don't like making or eating marmalade at the best of times, and I think making it with teeny, tiny kumquats might send me over the edge.
  • Check out this recipe.  The writer de-piths and de-seeds the kumquats before turning them into marmalade.  Once I'd seen how tiny the kumquats were, and how many of the little blighters there were in my bag, this task seemed truly epic and way beyond my levels of patience or enthusiasm.
  • A friend suggested turning them into a compote, with almonds, which sounded nice.  And simpler.
  • But kumquat compote (try saying that quickly) sounds to me like marmalade in disguise.
  • Another friend suggested adding them to vodka.
  • But I don't really like vodka either.
  • The BBC Good Food website - my failsafe recipe search engine - has just three recipes involving kumquats.  One of which uses a single kumquat as a garnish.
  • I was wondering if the hens would eat up the kumquats for me.  But I suspect not.
  • Any other suggestions of what to do with them would be VERY gratefully received.


Kumquats

11 comments:

  1. Pop them in a pretty bowl and admire their shape and hue until they turn nasty, then compost!

    ReplyDelete
  2. How about kumquat upside down cake?http://www.alexandracooks.com/2009/06/03/kumquat-upside-down-cake/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Judging by all the discarded peel in my garden the possums love them. (maybe that means the chickens will like them too)

    ReplyDelete
  4. You can have profound discussions with your children along the lines of "Life is like a kumquat - you need to add a little sweetness to counterbalance the astringency..."

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1. Put one kumquat in your mouth, chew very quickly & it'll become sweet- honest!

    2. Kumquat syrup, cut them in half & add to sugar already dissolved in water, bring to boil then & simmer until liquid has reduced to thick syrup (it's v good on ice cream or added to steamed puds...)

    ReplyDelete
  6. How about making candid peel with them? I don't know if it works with Kumquats but it seems a good way of preserving them and then you can use them in the tasty cakes/bread that you make!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Put them in the compost quickly, then forget all about them. Nature will love them for you!

    ReplyDelete
  8. A friend makes delicious candied kumquats ... all I know is you simmer them whole in sugar syrup until translucent ... worth Googling maybe?

    ReplyDelete
  9. years ago I used to work in a hotel and am pretty sure the chef used to dip them in dark chocolate and serve them with coffee as petit fours...at least I think it was kumquats...x

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bear in mind that the point of putting kumquats or anything else in vodka is to make the vodka taste of something other than vodka.

    Bear also in mind that it works with sloe gin.

    So I'd say, buy some cheap vodka and fill it up with kumquats. You've nothing much to lose and it might make something nice!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I watched Kirstie Allsopp on TV eat a pile of kumquats cooked whole in syrup so I'm guessing they taste quite nice like that.

    ReplyDelete

Even though I often do not have the time to reply to everybody, I really appreciate all your comments so much - thank you for taking the time to read my blog and share your thoughts on what I've written.