Food for Thought- Kumquats!

Kumquats are fruit which closely resemble the orange, but they are much smaller and ovular, being approximately the size and shape of a large olive. Kumquat trees are slow-growing evergreen shrubs or short trees, from 2.5 to 4.5 meters (8 to 15 ft) tall, with dense branches, sometimes bearing small thorns. The leaves are dark glossy green, and the flowers are white, similar to other citrus flowers, borne singly or clustered in the leaf-axils. Depending on size, the kumquat tree can produce hundreds or even thousands of fruits each year.The tree can be hydrophytic, grown in water, with the fruit often found floating on water near shore during the ripe season.

Nagami Kumquat tree

The kumquat plant is native to south Asia and the Asia Pacific region. The earliest historical reference to kumquats appears in literature of China in the 12th century. They have long been cultivated in India, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and southeast Asia. They were introduced to Europe in 1846 by Robert Fortune, collector for the London Horticultural Society, and shortly thereafter into North America.

Nagami kumquat

Kumquats are rarely grown from seed as they do not do well on their own roots. In China and Japan they are grafted onto the trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata). This has been found the best rootstock for kumquats in northern Florida and California and for dwarfing for pot culture. Sour orange and grapefruit are suitable rootstocks for southern Florida. Rough lemon is unsatisfactory in moist soils and tends to be too vigorous for the slow-growing kumquats.

Varieties:

• Nagami kumquat (Fortunella margarita): The fruit is oval and is the most common varieties grown in USA. The fruit features smooth light yellow rind tart flavor.
• Marumi kumquat (Fortunella japonica): The fruit is round and has the distinctive sweet flavor.
• Meiwa kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia): It is round in shape and larger than other verities. It is popular in Japan as ninpo or neiha kinkan.
• Hong Kong Wild (Fortunella hindsii).

The Nagami or Oval Kumquat (Fortunella.margarita) is the most common variety in the United States. The Nagami Kumquat is oval in shape, 3/4″ to 1″ in diameter and between 1″ to 2″ long. The tartness of the fruit makes them great for use in cooking and/or for marmalades and jellies. The tree is shrub like and is similar to an orange tree in appearance. It is a prolific bearer and very decorative because of the dark green leaves and brilliant orange fruit. The fruit lasts for several months on the tree in warm winter climates. The trees do very well when planted in the yard or in larger pots. They can withstand temperatures as low as 28 degrees and require about the same care as other citrus. They can be grown throughout Florida, but produce larger and juicier fruit when grown in the sandy soils on the hills of eastern Pasco County in central Florida. The kumquat tree is highly resistant and possibly immune to citrus canker.

Selection and storage

Kumquats are best available from November through June. ‘Nagami’ is the most common variety of kumquats grown in the United States. Nagami kumquats are grown in much large scale in Saint Joseph, Florida, which earned its city as kumquat capital of Florida.

While buying select kumquat fruit that is firm, smooth, brilliant orange color and preferably picked with leaves. Avoid unripe, green color fruits and those with surface cuts, bruise, or damaged fruits.

Kumquat fruits possess very good keeping quality. They can be stored in the room temperature for about 3-4 days and inside the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Frozen kumquat puree can be stored for six months or more.

Nutritive Value and Health Benefits

• 100 g of Kumquats provide only 71 calories. Nonetheless, they are incredibly rich sources of health-benefiting dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and pigment anti-oxidants that contribute immensely towards wellness.
• Kumquats are eaten along with the peel, a unique feature that differentiates them from other citrus family fruits. The peel is rich in many essential oils, anti-oxidants, and fiber. 100 g whole kumquats provide 6.7 g or 17% of daily-recommended levels of fiber composed of tannins, pectin, hemi-cellulose, and other non-starch polysaccharides (NSP).
• Fresh kumquats are packed with numerous health benefiting poly-phenolic flavonoid anti-oxidants such as carotenes, lutein, zea-xanthin, tannins…etc. The kumquat peel is composed many important essential oils in it. Together, these compounds impart special citrus aroma to the fruit.
• Like oranges, kumquats also very rich in vitamin C. 100 g fruit provides 47.9 or 73% of RDA (Recommended daily allowances). Vitamin-C is one of the most powerful natural anti-oxidant that helps scavenge harmful oxygen derived free radicals from the body and thereby protect us from cancers, diabetes, degenerative diseases and infections.

How to eat/use kumquats

Kumquats are great, just as they are with their peel! The peel is actually a bit sweeter than the pulp, so eating them whole (seeds are edible too, but you can spit them out) gives them a balanced flavor.

Kumquats taste great in a salad. Fresh kumquats can be used in flavoring bread, cakes, cookies, pies, and cheese cake. Kumquats in sauces, marmalade, jelly, and glaze are exceptionally tasty and are a particular treat as a topping for bread, biscuits, and cakes. They add color and excellent flavor to any dish!

Stay tuned for ways to use kumquats in recipes..

-Aparna Ramadurai

4/1/14