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Kumquat Jam

spoon with kumquat jam on a spoon resting on the jar of jam
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4.8 from 4 reviews

This kumquat jam is so good! You’ll be looking for any excuse to eat more of it. Please note: doubling or tripling the recipe should work, but will result in a longer cook time to remove excess water. I haven’t tested at that volume so I can’t provide a time but please be aware of this. 

  • Author: Becky Schmieg
  • Prep Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 9 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cup 1x
  • Category: Condiment
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 10 oz kumquats (slice and reserve seeds)
  • 2 3/4 cups water
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Instructions

  1. Slice kumquats into 1/4 inch rounds and remove seeds as you go, setting them aside. You’ll end up with a little less than 1 tbsp of seeds.
  2. Wrap seeds in a bit of cheesecloth, secured with a string and place in a pot with water, cinnamon stick and sliced kumquats. Allow this to sit in the fridge overnight or for 8 hours.
    sliced kumquats in water with kumquats seeds and a cinnamon stick
  3. You will notice a clear, jelly-like substance surrounding the seeds and the outside of the cheesecloth, that’s the pectin. Squeeze the bundle and scrape as much of it as you can back into the pot. Then discard the seeds.
  4. Add the sugar to the pot and stir. Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches a simmer.
    kumquat jam cooking in a pot
  5. Do your best to maintain a simmer and let the mixture cook for 30-40 minutes and begin testing for temperature using a candy thermometer or you can just do the gel test.
    kumquat jam that has been cooking for 30-40 minutes
  6. To conduct the gel test, place a plate in the freezer when you begin cooking the jam. Once the mixture has been simmering for about 40 minutes, place a small amount of the jam on the plate and return it to the freezer for 2 minutes. Remove the plate, and gently push the blob of jam with your finger, if a slight ‘skin’ has begun to form across the top and the jam wrinkles as you push, it’s done. If it’s still syrupy/watery, it needs to cook longer. You may need to turn up the heat slightly.
    jam that has reached the gel stage as demonstrated by being gently pushed with a finger
  7. Once a successful gel test has been conducted or a temperature of 220F has been reached, the jam is done and can be spooned into a clean jar and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
    spoon with kumquat jam on a spoon resting on the jar of jam

Find it online: https://www.figjar.com/kumquat-jam/