Making Kumquat Peel with Seasonal Kumquats🍊🍊🍊
It's kumquat season!
When this season arrives, my garden is filled with plenty of kumquats (and amanatsu oranges).
Kumquats are delicious even just eaten as they are.
The bittersweet, spring-like flavor is an adult taste that I find irresistible.
And it seems the birds feel the same way.
Many birds are drawn to the kumquats in my garden.
My cat is obsessed with those birds.
They say seasonal foods are good for the body, and I'm sure they are an important source of nutrition for birds and other animals too.
But if I leave them alone too much, the birds will eat them all.
So, I decided to make candied kumquats, kumquat peel, and chocolate-covered kumquat peel.
The process is simple.
1.Wash the kumquats, slice them into rounds, and remove the seeds. (It's easier to remove them with a toothpick.) If you are only making candied kumquats, you can just cut them in half and remove the seeds; they don't have to be rounds.
2.Place the kumquats from step 1 in a small pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, drain in a colander.
3.Weigh the kumquats from step 2. Place them in a small pot with 60% of their weight in sugar and enough water to cover them, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the pith of the kumquats becomes translucent.→
Candied kumquats complete!
You can also use the cooking liquid as a syrup! It's delicious mixed with hot water or soda.
4.Dry the kumquats from step 3. Arrange them on plastic wrap, parchment paper, or a colander, draining off any excess liquid, and let them dry, flipping occasionally until the moisture has evaporated.If they aren't drying well, heat them in an oven preheated to 120°C (248°F) for about 30 minutes, flipping them occasionally.
→
Kumquat peel complete!You can also sprinkle them with granulated sugar if you like.
5.Melt a chocolate bar in a double boiler and dip the kumquat peel from step 4 into it. Place them on plastic wrap or parchment paper and wait for them to cool and harden.→
Chocolate-covered kumquat peel complete!
Kumquats are not only delicious, but they are also apparently a very nutrient-rich fruit.
A quick search revealed all these benefits:
Vitamin C → Good for cold prevention and beautiful skin
Various vitamins and minerals → Antioxidant effects
Citric acid and flavonoids → Reduce fatigue and improve gut health
Hesperidin, a type of flavonoid → Hay fever prevention and maintenance of healthy capillaries
Pectin → Constipation relief, diet support, and blood sugar stabilization
My urgent priorities are hay fever prevention and cold prevention.
Of course, I am well aware that even though I call them urgent, these aren't things that provide immediate results.
But I plan to keep eating them, hoping it might at least provide some peace of mind.
Plus, they're delicious!
I'm currently doing a 1-month writing habit challenge.
Today is day 28.