Every year, we make preserves with the fruits from the garden. As I told you in a recent post, I had it all planned out so that nothing would go to waste and was determined to create Orangina soda. I used the kumquat pulp for the syrup of the drink and used all the kumquat rind for marmalade. To repeat the same flavors of the soft drink, I added tangerine to the marmalade as well. To make the marmalade a bit fancier, I added some vanilla beans and vanilla extract at the end.
Making marmalade is labor intensive, so gather some friends and family to get through the process. Rest assured that your efforts will be rewarded. We cooked and canned 13 pounds of fresh kumquats. If sealed properly, you can keep the jars of marmalade for a year. Good luck holding on to it that long though. The girls have already gone through two jars! The sweet fragrance of the kumquats and vanilla is intoxicating. Spread a little (or a lot) on a slice of buttered toast, pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy. It’s the perfect way to start the day!
1. Info for Homemade Tangerine Kumquat Marmalade Recipe
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr 50 min
- Servings: 7
- Calories: 230 kcal
2. Ingredients for Homemade Tangerine Kumquat Marmalade Recipe
- 3 pounds kumquats (about 120)
- 12 ounces tangerines (about 8-10)
- 5-½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ French vanilla bean (optional)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 3 pint jars
- 1 half-pint jar
3. Directions:
- One day ahead… Slice the fruits in half and separate the flesh from the skin. Thinly slice the rind. You’ll have about 2 cups of kumquat rind.
- Gather all the pulp into a blender and pulse 2-3 times until coarsely chopped. Strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside 1/3 cup of kumquat juice and reserve the rest for making kumquat drink.
- Zest the tangerines with a fine mesh microplane, being careful to take only the thin orange skin, not the white pith beneath.
- Peel the tangerines and divide them in half. Remove the membrane wall on one side around a segment. Apply a little pressure on the segment with your thumb to separate the segment along the next membrane (you could also use a paring knife but don’t cut the fruit; use the knife as a separator). Loosen and free the segment and gently pull it away from the fruit, removing all the membrane. Repeat and remove the rest of the segments. This technique releases and spills less juice. Transfer the tangerine segments with as much as juice as possible into a bowl. I gathered 2-½ cups of tangerine pulp. Set aside.
- In a pot, combine the sliced kumquat rind, kumquat juice, tangerine zest, tangerine pulp, sugar and 1-½ quarts of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a medium-low and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. The content should be syrupy. Cover, set aside and let sit overnight (at least 18 hours) at room temperature.
- The following day, bring the citrus mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 40 minutes. Stir every now and then using a wooden spoon. Bring back a boil. Skim any foam that develops on the top before pouring into the Mason jars.
- Using a paring knife, scrape and gather all the grains of the vanilla bean. Add the vanilla beans and vanilla extract to the marmalade.
- Fill a large pot of water and bring to just under a boil. Place the Mason jars, lid, heat-proof funnel and tongs in the pot and let it boil for 10 minutes. Be sure to read the instructions that come with your Mason jars. They’ll give you exact time and techniques.
- Remove the jars from the water and fill with tangerine kumquat marmalade, leaving about ¼-inch of head space or whatever your canning directions say. Carefully place the lid on the jar. Tighten the collar around each jar. Bring your large pot of water to a boil and place all the sealed jars in it for 10 minutes.
- Remove the jars from the water. If the top of the lid still pops, the vacuum didn’t form and you’ll need to consume the jam in the next couple of weeks, storing it in the refrigerator. Otherwise you can safely store it in your pantry for up to a year.
- Enjoy!
