I think these days those little stickers are self adhesive and donât require licking.
For fresh produce to have date picked or similar labels would have substantial consequences for vendors and for buyers.
Bins would be picked over to get the newest even more than they are now. The myth that sellers are the fresh food people would be busted as soon as âfreshâ fruit was seen to be months old. The story that their food handling practices magically allowed good fruit to be available all year round will be questioned when the fact that in any given source locality each is picked only a few months of that year is made plain.
We could write off these deceits as evidence of poor dealings by the vendors, which is true in some cases. However we would also have to come to grips with the reality of how fruit and vegetables actually grow and that by our behaviour we show that we really do want the counterfactual to be true despite mostly knowing that it isnât.
Customers donât want to restrict themselves to buying seasonally which would be required if we reject produce over a few months old and we would have to accept the food miles of buying counter-seasonal imports to fill in when Oz produces none. Before ubiquitous refrigeration and rapid transport it was accepted that produce was seasonal - no longer.
Vendors tell us what we want to hear because we canât handle the truth.
I am all for new ideas on jam and marmalade but I donât see how mooshing fixes the problem of the seeds.
I always cut and seed first, then cook the fruit in a little water before adding the sugar. If the seeds are still in the mix after cooking I donât see how to get them out easily. Perhaps I am missing something.
A contrast to the lack of love for the humble Cumquat and relative silence of Cumquats Australia. Perhaps the non-English/Australian (American) spelling has lessened their zest to join in?
Is this the slippery slope towards a future of courgettes, cantaloupes and cilantro? Fortunately âotherâ was a safe if ambiguous choice.
The spelling with k is much more common than with c. Under no circumstances google âcumquat jamâ using either spelling if you are looking for recipes, âcumquat marmaladeâ would be better.
I voted for grapefruit, I love it but sadly canât have any because it interferes with my medication, and of course my tree is laden with fruit.
I do find lemon so versatile, it can be used in marinades, drinks, salads and deserts. Itâs so versatile and if you have a massive crop the juice freezes very well.
I think a lot of people havenât tried the newer grapefruit varieties, especially the red/pink ones. They are so much better tasting than the bitter ones available decades ago.
The other thing with grapefruit is to prepare them the right way. Avoiding eating the pith and the segment coverings removes all of the bitterness. The way I do it is to cut off the north and south poles, so to speak. Cut just enough off to reveal the ends of the segments. Then peel the fruit. Then cut it in half, north to south. Then run a sharp small knife under a segment covering, opening the segment at the centre edge. Pull the covering back and use your front teeth to eat out the contents. Repeat for the other segments.
Almost all fruit trees that are grown commercially or domestically are grafted. The primary reason is to use a combination hardy rootstock and desirable fruit producing wood. By grafting from selected stock the fruiting wood is of known and certain genetics where growing from seed is hit and miss. As well as the fruit salad tree with several kinds of fruit this method also allows the combination of dwarfing rootstock and good fruiting wood to give productive dwarf trees.
It depends whether you just want a tasty kumquat spread, or you really want the product to look like marmalade (clear jelly with shreds of skin suspended in it). I prefer the former. I chop the fruit roughly and cook the lot, seeds, skins and all. Before adding the sugar, I strain out the seeds and skins. The result is a jelly-like jam that tastes like a marmalade. The method works well with grapes that have a lot of seeds, too.
Ah. I like the skins. Cumquats have a lot of skin in proportion to the flesh and much of the flavour is in the skin. If eaten raw you eat the whole thing and spit the pits, much of what you eat is skin.
I have used the straining method on medlars which have thin skins and small seeds but the flesh is brown and fibrous, almost gritty. I donât know anybody who likes medlars raw even when well bletted but cooked and strained through a cloth the liquor magically clears. With the right amount of sugar it can become a wonderful scarlet jelly or a fruit cheese that is one of the few fruit products that smells spicy as well as fruity. Donât expect to find medlars in Woolies.
There are fruits for which a solids free jam - jelly is the way to go. Cherry guave might be my pick. For citrus I like the added texture and flavour of the fruit skin. My preference, and what makes it marmalade.
Interesting to know one can make other than a marmalade with citrus.
P.S.
Thereâs a precedent for most everything?
The EU sometime goes to great lengths to regulate product labelling. In this instance the absence of whole fruit rind might preclude calling it marmalade. I suspect it might include zest of the two fruits, no seed or pulp evident. The product is runny like a jam and not stiffer like a jelly. Mild in flavour.
