Calamondin Marmalade

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Maggie on October 16, 2008 at 4:49pm

I have never heard of Marmalade being canned after cooking but I guess it may be done to prevent surface mould or increase the storage life. I will be interested to see what others think.
I guess commercial jams are heat treated after bottling. Good question!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dancing Creek Farm on October 16, 2008 at 5:25pm

I know but I am sure she did this and want to be sure before I waste a lot of good fruit.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Maya on October 16, 2008 at 7:54pm

I learned to make marmalade in Spain many years ago. We just canned it hot in sterilized jars with no processing afterward. I continue to do all my jams and marmalade this way. I don't know about calamondins (but have a little tree with many dozens of blossoms right now, so I'll be glad for any info soon!), but for orange marmalade, unless I have good, sour wild oranges, which is never these days, I put in a grapefruit to keep it sour enough. Please let me know what you find out and how it works for you.

How long does it normally take for fruits to develop and ripen from blossoming time? We have three little fruits that came from April blossoms, and they're just now starting to turn orangish. That seems like an incredibly long time to me!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Harry C Anderson on October 25, 2008 at 4:41am

I make marmalade from Nagami Sour Kumquats every year, using a good sour orange recipe and it turns out very well. If you can it in sterilzed half pint jars and seal with warm new lids, it does not require any additional processing. Harry

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dancing Creek Farm on October 25, 2008 at 5:09am

thank you. what recipe do you use? do you use water or orange juice?
thanks- i have a few nagami trees and may also add some.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Maya on December 10, 2008 at 2:13pm

A couple of related questions:
1. What have you found to be ideal conditions for your calamondins? How can I keep mine happy? It is now indoors in a cold room: 40sF at night, same on cloudy days, up to 70 or more on sunny days, SE/S/SW exposure. The blossoms are dropping, don't know if it'll fruit, but my fingers are crossed.
2. Can calamondins be preserved whole, like Moroccan lemons? I think they'd look lovely if they could. I cook a lot with oranges, don't know about preserved.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kathryn on December 11, 2008 at 3:46am

2. Can calamondins be preserved whole, like Moroccan lemons? I think they'd look lovely if they could. I cook a lot with oranges, don't know about preserved.

Maya İ dont know about growing them but you can preserve all citrus like the lemons and also you can preserve them whole if you like in brandy and sugar for a very long time. İ have done cumquats this way and also cut up various citrus and let it soak up the alcohol for many years. Sometimes you have to top up the alcohol and sugar. One jar of cumquats İ left for 7 years and wished İ had left the whole batch.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michelle W. Flannery on December 11, 2008 at 8:18am

Here's one recipe for Calamondin Marmalade made with orange juice, and two other Calamondin recipes that might interest you.

CALAMONDIN MARMALADE WITH ORANGE JUICE

2 c. puree Calamondin
1 c. orange juice
3 c. sugar

Wash, halve and seed Calamondins. In a blender puree coarsely the Calamondins. In a stainless steel kettle combine juice and the puree. Bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat, stirring. Add sugar. Boil over moderate heat, stirring 15 minutes. Pack in sterilized jars and seal. Store in cool place.

Note: Some people don't water bath the jars; they just ladle it hot into hot jars, put the lids and rings on and invert them, but putting the jars in the boiling water bath for at least 15 minutes really helps to reduce spoilage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESERVED WHOLE CALAMONDINS

2 cups fresh calamondins
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 stick cinnamon (optional)
1 lemon sliced thinly (optional)

Wash and drain fruit. Cut small gash crosswise in each calamondin. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Drain. Make a syrup of sugar and water. Add cinnamon and lemon. Drop calamondins into syrup. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes. Cover and let stand overnight.

Cook again, uncovered, for 10 minutes and let stand to "plump" at least overnight. Bring to a boil again and cook until fruit is clear and syrup is thick.

Pack into sterilized canning jars while hot. Cover with hot syrup and tighten lids. Process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath.

To keep flavor and color, it is best to cook in small amounts, as in this recipe. Never try to do more than twice the recipe.

------------------------------------------------------------------
CALAMONDIN PIE

1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 cup calamondin juice (add 1 more tablespoon if more tartness is desired)
4 tablespoons cornstarch (slightly rounded)
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
9-inch prebaked pie shell

Combine sugar, cornstarch and boiling water, stirring constantly over medium heat until clear and thickened. Add margarine. Remove from heat and add egg yolks and calamondin juice, which have been combined. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring until quite thick. Cool before putting into prepared 9-inch pie shell. Top with meringue if desired.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Maya on December 12, 2008 at 2:10pm

Thanks both of you for the great information. I don't have lots of ripe fruits now, just a few, but do have lots of little baby ones where the blossoms are falling off, so next year sometime I'll let you know how it all turns out! Do you think that kumquats would work for the pie, Michelle? They're readily available in the supermarket here in the middle of winter. I'd love to lop off some of my food miles by growing calamondins, lemons, and limes indoors; I'd never thought of that as an option before. Can't get any citrus trees right now as there is a quarantine on the Florida citrus crop due an Asian blight.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michelle W. Flannery on December 12, 2008 at 7:13pm

Hi Maya. I posted a blog of kumquat recipes, including one for Kumquat meringue pie. It was the only pie recipe I could find for kumquats. If you try any of the recipes, leave a comment on how it went. I don't have kumquats, but I'd like to know if any of the recipes are good in case I every find myself with a few.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Maya on December 13, 2008 at 10:40am

Thanks, will do!

▶ Reply to This