Kumquat Lemon Thyme Marmalade

5 from 1 vote

Savor the homemade kumquat lemon thyme marmalade, a perfect balance of sweet, tart, and aromatic flavors, ideal for cozy winters or as a summer treat.

Prep Time2 40

Cook Time45

Total Time3 25

Servings 1.8 L

Calories: 1752.2 kcal

Equipment & Tools

Canning jars & lids (1800ml total)

INGREDIENTS

Metric - US Customary

1500 g kumquats (fresh, stemmed)
415 g cane sugar (unrefined)
50 g light brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla paste (Nielsen-Massey)
3 tbsp lemon thyme (leaves only)
2 tbsp Grand Marnier
½ cup water
2 tbsp honey (acacia)

INSTRUCTIONS

General prep

Take a dessert plate and place it in a freezer. Wash the canning jars and the lids and place them in the oven to sterilize. Turn the oven on to 100°C (212°F), place the jar in the oven and let the jars dry completely.

Prep the fruit

Thoroughly wash the kumquats under running water. Once washed, transfer them to a clean kitchen towel and gently pat them dry to remove any excess moisture.
Slice each kumquat into quarters lengthwise. Carefully remove the seeds and discard them. Also, cut out and discard the white pith in the middle, as it can add bitterness to your marmalade.
Take each quartered piece and slice it into thin julienne strips. This will ensure they are evenly distributed throughout the marmalade, providing a consistent texture and flavor.

Make the jam

Place 2 tablespoons of cane sugar into a mortar. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon thyme leaves to the sugar. Using the pestle, gently pound the lemon thyme and sugar together. Continue this process until the thyme leaves are well-bruised and have released their essential oils, infusing the sugar and making it moist.
Take a large, nonreactive saucepan and add the sliced kumquat, light brown sugar, vanilla paste, 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon thyme, Grand Marnier, and water. Finally, incorporate the sugar-lemon thyme mixture that you prepared earlier.
Stir all the ingredients together, ensuring they are well mixed.
For 5 minutes, with occasional stirring, cook on high (8/11) heat until the bubbles start to appear on the surface. The kumquat should release enough liquid to slightly cover the mixture.
Lower the heat to 6 and cook for another 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Further, lower the heat to 5 and cook for another 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Finally, lower the heat to 3 and cook for about 19 minutes.
Add honey and stir to combine.
For a final check place a tablespoon of the jam on the plate from the freezer and spread in a thin layer. Taste the jam and check for structure. It should be dense and shiny.

Fill the jars

Using jar lifter or baking gloves carefully remove a jar from the oven. They will be quite hot, so be careful not to burn yourself.
Using a larger spoon carefully ladle some jam into the jar. Use jar funnel if you have one. If not try not to drop any jam on the jar rim. Fill the jar by leaving about 2 cm (1in) space from the top.
Check that the rim of the jar is clean (no jam on it) and if not take a clean kitchen towel and wipe it clean and dry.
Place the lid on top, close tightly. When you put the lid on, it should not touch the jam inside. Set aside. Repeat with other jars.
Let the marmalade cool to room temperature on the kitchen counter.
Store in the fridge or preserve the marmalade (see below).

Preserve the marmalade (optional)

Using a large stainless steel pot place a canning rack on the bottom. See note if you don't have a canning rack.
Carefully place the filled jars on the canning rack. Add hot boiling water to the pot so that ⅘ of the jar's height is covered.Turn the heat on medium to achieve very slow simmer. Simmer for at least 10 minutes.Turn the heat off and let the jars cool a bit before taking them out. Approximately 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes take the jars out on a cooling rack using the jar lifter and let them cool completely. With a cloth, wipe the water marks from the jar and store in a cool place.

NOTES

If the jar lids have a rubber band which is separate from the lid, don’t put them in the oven along with the jars and lids.
Before closing the lids fully, always check that you placed the lid correctly as any air circulation will not allow for the jam to be preserved correctly. This is especially important with the jar that has a rubber band separately from the lid (e.g. Weck jars).
The jam is properly preserved if the top of the lid is convex or indented inward and pressing on it does nothing. If it is concave and when you press it, it indents inwards then you should reseal the jar and repeat the preserving process since the jar did not seal airtight. Or just consume this jar first.
If you don’t have a canning rack for the pot, use kitchen cloth. It is important for the jars not to be directly on the heat source. Just fold the kitchen cloth so that it covers the bottom of the pot and it is folded at least 4 times. If it is too small for 4 folds then use two cloths. Make sure that when you place the jars they are leveled and not tilted to the side.
Once you start to consume the jam and the jar is not sealed airtight anymore, it is best to keep it in the fridge.

NUTRITION*

* Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.