Sun pods
Shaped like an oversized grape, tastes like a very sweet lemon that can be eaten whole, peel and all, even when plucked directly from the tree.
No wonder why I love these little buggers.
Sweet Preserved Kumquats
1 & 1/2 pound organic kumquats
juice of 4 lemons (about 2/3 of a cup)
4 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1 tablespoon black pepper, crushed
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly crushed
1 & 3/4 cups maple sugar (or a natural brown sugar like turbinado or demerara)
1/2 gallon jar
Directions:
1. Wipe each fruit with a damp paper towel, then with a dry one. Make sure they are 100% free of water as this can cause mold during the preserving process. It is a good idea to let them sit out in a warm dry place for an hour or so after cleaning.
2. Warm the maple sugar and lemon juice slowly in a small saucepan until sugar melts. Turn up the heat and boil for 2-3 minutes, just until the mixture looks slightly syrupy. Leave to cool in pan.
3. When crushing the spices, make sure the fennel and cumin still retain some shape. You don’t want to crush them to a powder. The black pepper can be crushed as fine as you like. Combine the salt and spices.
4. Slice off the button ends of the kumquats, and then slice the entire fruit in half lengthwise. If you see blatant seeds take them out. But you don’t need to dig out the very small concealed ones. Slicing the kumquats completely in half allows you to easily add the spice mixture. Just toss the whole lot together in a bowl, then transfer to a 1/2 gallon jar and pour the syrup over top.
Additional Notes
You’ll want to keep them either on a sunny windowsill or outside in the sun if you are in a warm climate. If you put them outside, be sure to bring them in at night. When making pickles like these, the timing depends on the temperature and will vary. Give it a check at the 2 week mark, and then every couple of days after that. It’s really up to you how soft you would like to let the kumquats become. I like mine still a bit toothsome, but definitely soft enough to chew freely. As the citrus breaks down, the syrup will become thicker. Once they are to your liking, store them in the fridge for a year or more. At this point they will be broken down enough to fit in a quart container. Or better yet, distribute them into even smaller containers and go through one at a time.
You can eat this anywhere you would an Indian pickle or chutney – accompanying all manner of curry, flatbreads, or mixed rice dishes. I particularly like it simply atop warmed basmati rice with a spoonful of yogurt for a quick lunch.