Pioneer Kumquat Marmalade

In 1967 the agronomist Jean Heidebroek created the first plantation of Kumquats in Spain. The Kumquat is the smallest citrus fruit and the only one with edible rind. Its flavor reminds of orange, more intense, fresh, sweet, with a mild bitter tone: delicious. We are showing you how to make a kumquat marmalade in the old traditional way, á l’ancienne, while we tell you the adventure of Jean Heidebroek, the pioneer of Kumquat.

Jean Heidebroek planting kumquats in Luz Sanctuary (Tarifa), 1967.

In 1965 Jean embarked in Tangier to cross the Strait of Gibraltar and spend a few days in Tarifa. He came from Kenitra (Morocco) where he was working on the improvement of citrus crops for the Belgian Agency for Technical Cooperation. Fascinated by the beauty of the area, he bought land and began work on creating an avocado plantation. But fate did not make it easy for him and months later, with hundreds of avocado seedlings already on the ground, a Levante storm (winds up to 70 mph) ruined his work and his project.

Far from being intimidated, he started a research program with the University of Seville to adapt kumquat varieties to the Strait of Gibraltar’s climate. In addition, he created a grid of green walls lined with giant cypress trees to protect the new planting from hurricane-force winds.

Years later, the kumquat farm is a small paradise inside the Strait of Gibraltar Natural Park. Jean is 93 years old, and the farm (Biojara) is managed by her daughter Paquita, who produces organic kumquats of the Nagami and Meiwa varieties and the new Limequat, a cross between lime and kumquat.

Limequats trees at Biojara farm. Tarifa, 2023.

To celebrate the new kumquat season, we bring you a kumquat marmalade à l’ancienne, that is, low in sugar and gelled with the fruit’s own pectin. Until the 20th century, sugar was a luxury product and jams were made only with ripe fruit, with little sugar and using the natural fruit pectin as a gelling agent. To make the most of the pectin in the kumquats, we are going to use their own seeds and leave the mixture to soak overnight before cooking it (see the recipe to see the technique).

The result is a very fragrant marmalade with the intense flavor of kumquat’s rinds. It has a runny texture which makes it ideal to combine with frozen desserts, pannacottas, or sponge cakes. It is sweet, fresh and very aromatic and you will be delighted by its exotic palate. Do not miss it! Kumquats are now in full season!

Pioneer Kumquat marmalade

 

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Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

Author: TQC

Serves: 4 jars

Ingredients

• 2 pounds/1kg organic kumquats
• 1 organic lemon
• 700 ml water
• 300 g organic white sugar
• 200 g organic Panela sugar

Instructions

1. Wash the kumquats carefully and rinse them. With a sharp knife cut the hard tip whith the stem one by one. Slice the kumquats into very thin rounds. As you slice, remove the seeds with the tip of your knife and reserve them. Put the slices in big bowl.
2. Peel and juice the lemon. Add both peel and juice to the sliced komqats.
3. Put the reserved kumquat seeds in a strainer bag (cheese cloth or similar) and place them in the bowl. Pour the water, cover and set aside overnight.
4. The next day put the sugar in a wide pot and pour the kumquats, the seeds bag, and their soaking liquid over the sugar. Heat the pot very slowly over medium-low to dissolve the sugar, about 10 minutes. When it begins to bubble, raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook without stirring for 15 minutes until the marmalade looks glossy. Stir the marmellata gently. Turn off the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Discard the seeds bag and the lemon peel. Ladle the marmalade into sterilized jars and let them sit and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for up to 2 months.

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