Kumquats!!

[Ally]

My neighbour brought round a bag stuffed full of kumquats.

They look (as Di said on fb, a dishful of sunshine ) and smell gorgeous.

I've googled a recipe for marmalade.

It looks quite foolproof but I'm a bit nervous as I've never made jam/marmalade before.

I need some advice about jars please...can I just use an old coffee jar as that's nearly empty?

All help gratefully received.

[debih]

You can use any old glass jar but you must sterilise them first. Make sure there are no cracks or chips. Wash them in hot soapy water and rinse with boiling water. Preheat the oven to 170, put the jars on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for around 10 minutes - though I leave mine in for much longer - til I need them. They need to be hot when toy put the hot marmalade in.

I have made kumquat marmalade before - it is gorgeous.

750g kumquats
2 oranges
2kg granulated sugar
1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds

Put the water in a big pan
Slice the kumquats thinly lengthwise. Remove and keep the pips - put the pips on a large share of muslin. Put the flesh in the pan. Cut the oranges into quartes. Squeeze the juice into the pan. Put the orange membrane, pips and squeezed out quarters on the muslin with the pips.

Tie the muslin bag up with string and hang it in the pan (tie the end of the string to the pan handle if you can - makes it easier to fish put). The pips, etc help with the pectin to make the marmalade set.

Bring the pan to a boil and simmer uncovered for two hours or until you can squash the peel of the kumquats between your fingers.

Remove the muslin bag. Add the sugar and coriander to the pan. Stir over a low heat til dissolved.

I've got to go to Pilates - I'll finish off later!!!!!!

[debih]

I'm back. Where was I.

Do the last stage slowly to make sure all the sugar dissolves.

Turn up the heat and squeeze the muslin bag out on the side of the pan to extract the pectin. It will ooze out. Use a spoon as it will be hot!

As soon as the mixture reaches a fast boil, time it for 15 minutes. Remove from heat will testing for a set. If it isn't set put it back in the heat for 5 minutes then test again. Keep doing this til you have a set. It is often worth having a bottle of liquid pectin in just in case you can't get a set.

Once it has reached setting point, skim any scum off the top. Pour it into sterilised jars - for gods sake be careful as it will be hot. Put the jar lids on immediately and leave to cool.

This should make around 9 225ml jars.

It really does sound much more complicated than it is.

Do you want me to explain testing for setting point? I wasn't sure if you would know or not.

[Ally]

Testing for set point? Blimey...yes please an explanation is needed.

I've made toffee and I know I drop a bit of toffee in water to see if it sets..is it the same?

Thanks for spending the time writing this Debih - I'm really keen to make the marmalade and I'd really like to have a jar for mum and dad when they come over as they love marmalade.

[debih]

Testing the setting point is really easy Ali.

There are three main ways to do it - one with a thermometer (which is guess you don't have) one with a wooden spoon and one with the plate in the freezer. I tend to use all three!

Before you start making your marmalade put a couple of saucers or side plates in the freezer.

When you start testing for the setting point, first of all use your wooden spoon. The marmalade should drip off the end of the spoon in blobs, in just one place. Rather than running off.

Once it looks like this is happening use your plate/saucer from the freezer. Drop a small amount of the marmalade on to the plate and let it run into a thinish puddle by moving the plate around. Leave it for a couple of minutes and then push your finger through it. If it wrinkles up at the edges as you push your finger through then it is set. If it doesn't, or if you aren't sure it is wrinkling up (you will know it is wrinkling up when it does it) then put it back on the boil.

I always put two plates in the freezer as I end up testing loads of times before I'm perfectly happy with it.

And if you think it has reached setting point and then find, when it has cooled down that it is still really runny as it hadn't actually set, don't worry. Just pour the whole lot back into a pan and boil it up again and start testing for the setting point again. I have done this many a time and just added liquid pectin to it to get it to set. But don't forget to sterilise your jars again (you can sterilise your jars in the dishwasher by the way - on the hottest wash).

[miasmum]

I just love the word, have no idea what they are though

[Diflower]

Little tiny oval-shaped sort-of oranges Mm, very bitter when raw.

But nice as the marmalade sounds, the picture Ally posted of them on fb is so pretty I'd just look at them