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How to make the best cumquat jam

Published on September 9, 2016 Updated on June 15, 2020

Making cumquat jam

I have a love-hate relationship with this fruit. The end result is really the only thing that allows me to overcome the fact that I hate chopping them up. Our tree seems to be able to produce an over-abundance of fruit every year, leaving me to think up new ways of cooking with cumquats.

But, I also have a ‘love’ relationship with jam. I blame France for that. I love the sticky pots of fresh fruit that I smother on a baguette, or eat in a beautiful pastry. Back home, I love trying to replicate these wonderful jams.  There is nothing like making your own jams and now, I find myself wanting to make more and more things with our citrus fruit.

This old-fashioned cumquat jam recipe is a family one that has been handed down over generations.

Being such a small fruit makes it tricky to prep them. But, like anything in life, if you put in the hard yards upfront, you will be ultimately rewarded. It’s important to start with fresh cumquats. Having them fresh makes them easier to cut.

I’m lucky because I have a tree so I can harvest them whenever they are in season. 500g of fruit is enough to make a couple of bottles. Because they aren’t the quickest things to prepare you probably don’t want to have any more than that.

how to make cumquat jam with fresh cumquats

Tip:  Don’t be tempted to make larger batches of this.  Whilst items such as cakes can easily have their mixture doubled even tripled, jam does not react well to this at all.  The more fruit, the more sugar, the more liquid is produced, the longer the cooking time, the greater the impact on the pectin and so it goes on.  Cooking jam for too long also takes the flavour out of it.  Less is more when it comes to making jam.

The setting agent in this recipe comes from the pith and the seeds. Because this fruit is small, it’s easiest to first cut the fruit in half, then in quarters. This way you can then cut the centre pith out without digging around in the fruit.

Put pith and seeds into a bowl and cover with just enough water, cover with plastic wrap and leave overnight. Do not put it in the fridge.

making cumquat jam
Covering the pith and seeds with a little water.  Place the remaining fruit into a food processor and puree. This should be quite a thick consistency.
Getting ready to process the fruit
Getting ready to process the fruit
Processing the fruit for making cumquat jam
Processing the fruit.  Pour the processed fruit into a separate bowl, and also cover with just enough water to coat the fruit. This should also be left overnight on a bench, not in the fridge.
Processing fruit to make cumquat jam

The next day, the jam can be cooked.

Cook’s tip: Before starting the cooking process, the quantity of fruit needs to be measured, to determine the amount of sugar to be included. Sugar is added on a basis of one cup of sugar to one cup of fruit. To be clear, the fruit is measured after it has been sitting overnight, not the original weight of the fruit in its natural form.

Put a saucer in the freezer. This will be used to test the jam later.

Place pith and seeds into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid into the prepared fruit.

Add the juice of one lemon to the fruit.

Put the fruit (which now includes the juice from the pith, seeds and lemon) into a saucepan. Heat the fruit for five minutes before adding 1 cup of sugar for every cup of fruit.

Bring to the boil and keep stirring so it doesn’t stick to the saucepan. Boil for about 20 to 30 minutes. After 20 minutes put a drop onto the cold saucer and see if it will set. If not, keep cooking and repeat the process. Cooking time shouldn’t exceed 30 minutes.

Once the jam is ready, allow to cool slightly before pouring into sterilised bottles.

Making cumquat jam – cumquat marmalade is easy

It’s easy to learn how to make cumquat jam and this is an easy cumquat jam recipe. Just don’t let the annoying cutting process stop you from doing it. It makes such a beautiful jam that everyone who loves to cook should make it at least once.

Homemade cumquat jam
The final product – yummy homemade cumquat jam

how to make cumquat jam with fresh cumquats

How to make old fashioned cumquat jam

Yield: 500g fruit will produce 3 bottles of jam
Prep Time: 1 hour
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours

This old-fashioned cumquat jam recipe is a family one that has been handed down over generations. It takes a bit of time but the end result is a delicious jam.

Ingredients

  • Fresh cumquats (about 500g)
  • 1 cup sugar per cup of fruit
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Water

Instructions

  1. Cumquats cut into quarters so the pith can be cut off.Cumquats cut into quarters
  2. Put pith and seeds into a bowl and cover with just enough water, cover with plastic wrap and leave overnight. Do not put it in the fridge.making cumquat jam
  3. Place the remaining fruit into a food processor and puree. This should be quite a thick consistency.Processing fruit to make cumquat jam
  4. Pour the processed fruit into a separate bowl, and also cover with just enough water to coat the fruit. This should also be left overnight on a bench, not in the fridge.Processing fruit to make cumquat jam
  5. The next day, the jam can be cooked. Note: Before starting the cooking process, the quantity of fruit needs to be measured, to determine the amount of sugar to be included. Sugar is added on a basis of one cup of sugar to one cup of fruit. To be clear, the fruit is measured after it has been sitting overnight, not the original weight of the fruit in its natural form.
  6. Put a saucer in the freezer. This will be used to test the jam later.
  7. Place pith and seeds into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid into the prepared fruit.
  8. Add the juice of one lemon to the fruit.
  9. Put the fruit (which now includes the juice from the pith, seeds and lemon) into a saucepan. Heat the fruit for five minutes before adding 1 cup of sugar for every cup of fruit
  10. Bring to the boil and keep stirring so it doesn’t stick to the saucepan. Boil for about 20 to 30 minutes. After 20 minutes put a drop onto the cold saucer and see if it will set. If not, keep cooking and repeat the process. Cooking time shouldn't exceed 30 minutes.
  11. Once the jam is ready, allow to cool slightly before pouring into sterilised bottles.Homemade cumquat jam

Notes

  • It's important to start with fresh cumquats. Having them fresh makes them easier to cut.
  • The setting agent in this recipe comes from the pith and the seeds. Because this fruit is small, it's easiest to first cut the fruit in half, then in quarters. This way you can then cut the centre pith out without digging around in the fruit.
  • It might seem easier to throw all the seeds in, but take the time to remove them now and it will save time in the end, and give a better end result.
  • It's easy to learn how to make cumquat jam and this is an easy cumquat jam recipe.  Just don't let the annoying cutting process stop you from doing it. It makes such beautiful jam that everyone who loves to cook should make it at least once.

    • Cook's tip: Before starting the cooking process, the quantity of fruit needs to be measured, to determine the amount of sugar to be included. Sugar is added on a basis of one cup of sugar to one cup of fruit. To be clear, the fruit is measured after it has been sitting overnight, not the original weight of the fruit in its natural form.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 25g
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 881Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 15mgCarbohydrates: 228gFiber: 3gSugar: 217gProtein: 2g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Kerri McConnel
Cuisine: Jams / Category: Cook With Me

Looking for a good resource on jam making?

This is the best book on how to make jam I’ve found.  There are many books on jams that can be found online, but they are mostly American. I’ve finally found an Australian one that I absolutely love.  It’s written by Matthew Evans, a farmer from Tasmania, and I just keep reading this recipe book as though it is a novel!   You can own “Not just Jam” too.  It’s available here on Amazon and a bargain buy!  Buy it on Kindle or in hard copy.

Click on the link below to read more details about the book.

Not Just Jam: The Fat Pig Farm book of preserves, pickles and sauces

Other things to make with cumquats

10 simple cumquat recipes

When you have heaps of cumquats, you can’t always just make cumquat jam.

We’ve put together a list of our top 10 best cumquat recipes.

All recipes require only a few, simple ingredients and follow a simple process to make.

Everything can be made quickly and simply and some of the products can last for many years.

 

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DETAILS: 10 cumquat recipes 

Simple, easy to understand recipes

Easy to find ingredients

Quick and easy to make

Able to be printed once downloaded

 

FORMAT: Word document (instant download)

The best cumquat recipes all in one location

Every year we are faced with what seems to be a never-ending supply of cumquats from our very own tree.  Occupying a nice sunny spot in our backyard orchard, the tree rewards us for its enviable location with beautiful fruit.

After making one jar of jam too many, and not being able to face any more, I looked for other ideas to use this wonderful fruit.  It was hard to find a lot of good recipes and so I made some up and others I modified. 

Now, I’m bringing them all to you, in one location.  No more searching the internet or scratching your head wondering how to use them.

The fantastic thing about many of the relishes, pickles and preserves in this downloadable recipe list is that they are able to be stored in your pantry for quite some time. 

All of the pickling and preserving means that their lifespan is long, meaning you can have a ready supply of cumquat products always available.  They make great gifts too.

To make it easier to find great cumquat recipes when you need them, we’ve created a 10 page, 10 recipe list for you to download.

Click on the red button below to buy now

10 recipes for only $0.99 AUD 

 
 
Cumquat jam

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Kate

    This looks so good! I have never seen kumquats like that before-the ones I see in my supermarkets are more oval shaped. I will have to try this when they are in season here!

  5. Isabel

    I got some cumquats from my aunt and just made the jam following your recipe. The result is amazing! Thank you very much.

  7. Anonymous

    My cumquat tree is loaded and I have now made 3 batches of jam using your recipe – absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe. ? Jill

  8. Beer and Croissants

    Hi Jill, they really produce a lot of fruit once they get going don’t they! Ours are fruiting again now. We’ve started pickling them as we have so much jam! So pleased you liked it. Enjoy.

  13. Warren Sullivan

    Hi iam just about to make some jam for the first time before I start I have a question? What size jars do you need to make 500 gems of Cumquats?
    Warren

  14. Kerri McConnel

    HI Warren, it should make about 1.2-1.4 litres…..we use whatever size bottles we can find around the house. Usually they would be about 385g each and we’d fill about 4 of those.

  15. Jeanne

    It’s my first time making a jam and your recipe is just so simple and it gives an awesome result. Thanks heaps!
    Just a question about the shelf life…how long can I keep it in the fridge?
    Thanks again xox

  16. Kerri McConnel

    Hi Jeanne, that is awesome, I am so pleased! Seriously, it will last for ages. If you sterilise the bottles really well and seal well, it will keep for years in the refrigerator.

  18. Kerri McConnel

    Hi Gavin, as someone who has definitely made jam from 5 kg (and more) the answer is yes, you need to use everything that comes from the fruit you are using. Good luck.

  21. MaryAnn

    First of all thanks for the great ” CUMQUAT “recipe. We are spending 2 months in Fiji and our friend brought us cumquats from next door telling me the ladies here make jam. Found your recipe easy and straight forward to follow. The results are fantastic jam . I just finished making and have tried it on a fresh roll, wonderful colour and flavor. Thanks again..

  22. Kerri McConnel

    HI MaryAnn, thanks so much for taking the time to write about the wonderful Cumquat :).. What a great story. We love it because it’s not something you see everyday!

  23. Kerri McConnel

    HI MaryAnn, thanks so much for taking the time to write about the wonderful Cumquat :).. What a great story. We love it because it’s not something you see everyday!

  24. Jenny

    I have a question, is the cup of sugar for the original 500gms of whole fruit or the weight of the fruit after sitting overnight?

  25. Kerri McConnel

    Hi Jenny, I’ve mentioned that it’s before the cooking process but understand that might be a bit confusing so I will edit it to make it a bit clearer. Once you have processed the fruit and it has sat overnight, use this to determine your sugar measurements, not the original fruit.

  26. Bettina

    Hey there .. I’ve done Step 1. & now is sitting over night .. when I go to cook in morning do I drain off the liquid that the fruit is sitting in before I measure it?? Wow it is Time consuming they are little nuggets 😆 .. took me 3hrs to prep the Cumquats for step 1

  28. Veena

    Hi there I just finished making this lovely cumquet jam using 1kg of cumquet and thanks to my hubby with green thumbs, planted a cumquet tree in our back yard garden and right now bearing lots of fruit and what could be nicer having this jam and fresh bread for breakfast. Thank you for the recipe and having followed the same except as mentioned I used 1kg cumquet and also while the jam was in the cooking process something cropped up my mind..my younger daughter added 1 star aniseed and 1 cinnamon stick in her jam she prepared last time so I did the same..wow taste is so unique.Thanks again.

  31. Kerri McConnel

    Hi Veena, you will have so much wonderful fruit now! Our tree has not stopped bearing for about 15 years. Totally get the star anise and cinnamon. I actually have a downloadable ebook that you can buy at the bottom of the recipe that has 10 cumquat recipes in it. There’s actually several recipes that include these ingredients! They work perfectly with cumquat.

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