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Candied Kumquat Peels, Kumquat Syrup, and Kumquat-Ade Recipe

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With just four cups of fruit, you can make three different and delicious kumquat treats. You’ll love the sweet, refreshing citrus flavor!

Candied kumquat peels, kumquat syrup, and kumquat-ade

We are so lucky to have a kumquat tree.  Two or three times a year, it produces sweet-smelling white flowers, followed by small, round orange fruits with sweet edible skin and sour but flavorful juice.  Since this week’s #SundaySupper theme is “Hometown Recipes,” how much more hometown can you get than your own backyard?

Our tree produces so much fruit that we can’t possibly eat it all, but I make a good effort to use as much of it as I can.  From just four cups of fruit, you can make three delicious treats in one session of cooking.

  • Candied Kumquat Peels:  Because of their pretty color and sparking sugar crystals, candied kumquat peels also make a lovely gift.  If you hold one of the candied kumquat peels up in the sunlight, its translucence makes it look like a shard of stained glass.
  • Kumquat Syrup:  Kumquat syrup is addictively delicious.  You can use it to glaze cakes, mix in drinks, top your biscuits, or in any place you’d use honey or maple syrup.
  • Kumquat-Ade:  Kumquat-ade is so refreshing.  It tastes like sunshine!  I prefer it hands-down over lemonade.

The recipe for Candied Kumquat Peels is based on a Whole Foods recipe for candied lemon peels.  I’d be willing to bet that it will work similarly for any citrus fruit.  Don’t skip the step of boiling the peel three times.  I tried skipping that step for one small batch just to see what happened, and they came out very sticky and never dried out as they should have.  So, it’s important.

You can find kumquats with the citrus in your grocery store.  I hope you enjoy this kumquat harvest!  And don’t forget to check out all the other hometown recipes for #SundaySupper!

Candied kumquat peel in the sun

 

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Candied Kumquat Peels, Kumquat Syrup, and Kumquat-Ade

You'll love the fresh citrus flavor of crisp and chewy kumquat peels, sweet and tangy kumquat syrup, and refreshing kumquat-ade!
Servings 4
Author Katie Moseman

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Candied Kumquat Peels and Kumquat Syrup

  • 4 cups whole kumquats
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar plus more for drying

Ingredients for the Kumquat-Ade

  • granulated sugar You'll need an equal amount of sugar as you have kumquat juice.
  • water

Instructions

Directions for the Kumquat-Ade (1 part juice, 1 part sugar, 3 parts water)

  1. Rinse the kumquats. Juice them on a citrus juicer or squeezer. It's OK if the peels rip, as long as they aren't shredded into tiny pieces. Set aside the peels to be used for candied kumquat peels and kumquat syrup.

  2. Measure the juice, then measure out an equal amount of sugar. Measure out water equal to 3 times the amount of juice. Place the sugar and water in a pot and warm the water while stirring to dissolve the sugar completely. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then mix the sweetened water and the juice together in a pitcher. Taste it, and add more water if it is too strong for your taste. Refrigerate.

Directions for the Candied Kumquat Peels and Kumquat Syrup

  1. Remove any segments of fruit and dangling strings from the peels. Try to keep the peels in relatively large pieces.

  2. Place the peels in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Drain. Repeat this step two more times.
  3. Place the kumquat peels, 2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar to the pot. Bring to a boil and stir gently to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer on a low boil for one hour.
  4. Prepare drying trays by lining two cookie sheets with parchment paper, then sprinkling with sugar.
  5. Place a colander or strainer over a large bowl. Drain the peels, letting the syrup run into the bowl. Set the syrup aside to cool.
  6. Spread out each peel on the drying tray so that they do not overlap and are not folded over on themselves. Sprinkle evenly with more sugar until coated. Let dry for about 6 hours, or overnight. Once completely dry, store in containers or jars with a little extra sugar to preserve their dryness.
  7. Strain the syrup into jars or containers. Refrigerate or freeze.

Recipe Notes

Use the syrup for mixed drinks, cake glaze, or as a topping in place of maple syrup or honey.

Jar of Kumquat Syrup
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Comments

  11. Stacy

    Our neighbors had a kumquat tree when I was growing up and they were very kind to share, so I am rather jealous of yours, Katie. I love your trio of kumquat recipes, especially that candied peel. Lovely!

    Reply

  12. Dini @ Giramuk's Kitchen

    I actually never had Kumquats! I should keep an eye out for it. I especially love the syrup! It looks delicious and beautiful!! 🙂
    You’re right Katie, it looks like Sunshine!!

    Reply

    • Katie

      LOL it was a total mess. But occasionally I go a bit nuts and cook up a storm- this was one of those times. The other time was last year when I made brownies inside pumpkins and then roasted all the seeds, too.

      Reply

  15. Shaina

    That’s so cool you have a kumquat tree! I have only used these little things once, but love the flavor. Your recipes are super creative, love ’em!

    Reply

  16. Julie @ Texan New Yorker

    I’m trying to remember where kumquats usually grow, so I’m guessing you’re in Florida??

    These kumquat recipes look fantastic! Kumquats actually showed up on my Contracts exam my first year of law school, and to answer the question properly you had to know if kumquats were a fruit or a vegetable – and I didn’t know! I was so angry at the time, though it’s rather funny now!

    Reply

  18. The Ninja Baker

    You’re right! The lovely candied peels do look like stained glass. Lucky you that you can pluck the petite citrus perfection from your backyard. Thank you for the tip about staying true to the 3 times boil, Katie.

    Reply

  20. Christine

    I only just discovered you can eat the whole thing, peel and all over Christmas! I love that you’ve found a way to have us using all of the fruit! I will definitely be making this!

    Reply

  22. Meagan

    So that’s what I do with the ignored tree in the back yard! I usually just let the five year old eat them all but I may have to take some from him.

    Reply

  25. Martin Redmond

    I don’t think I’ve ever had a kumquat! Based on what I’m seeing here, I’m going to have to change that! I especially like the idea of candied kumquat peels! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • Katie Moseman

      Hi Rose! Boiling the peels several times allows the peels to dry in a crispy fashion. I tested it. For some reason, when you only boil once, the peels dry softer and stickier, not crisp and dry. There’s probably some science behind it, but I don’t know the exact explanation.

      By “drained juice” I’m guessing you’re talking about the water the kumquats were boiled in (the actual kumquat juice, of course, can be made into kumquat-ade). I haven’t tried anything with the leftover water, so honestly, I’m not sure. Flavored ice cubes, maybe? That would make a good ice cube for kumquat-ade.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      -Katie

      Reply

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