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| Calamondin |
Even if I can't grow potatoes or corn, I can definitely grow some fruit! Today, my daughter picked some calamondin (also known as calamansi), which is a type of citrus fruit. They are a cross between a kumquat and a mandarin orange and are small, round, and very, very sour. But, they make a great marmalade and I am going to experiment this year and see if I can make some chutney, too.
Back in December 2024, I asked M to prune the calamondin tree. Here's how it looked towards the end of January 2025:
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| Calamondin Tree After Pruning: January 2025 |
It has since grown back quite nicely and was full of fruit - here's how it looked in June, 2026:
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| Calamondin Fruit in June, 2026 |
Daughter picked just over six pounds of calamondin today and there's still more fruit on the tree. But, six pounds are about as much as we can handle at a time. I washed them all well and daughter spent about an hour cutting each fruit in half and removing the seeds. We decided that it was too hot to make a batch of marmalade today (a high of 88F/31C and we have no air conditioning) so he deseeded fruit was put in the freezer to be processed later. Some of the marmalade will be given as gifts later in the year.
I am grateful for:
- The calamondin tree
- The abundance of fruit produced by this tree
- Daughter picking the fruit for me
- And deseeding them for me
- Having a working freezer to store the fruit
- The abundance of fruit produced by this tree
- Daughter picking the fruit for me
- And deseeding them for me
- Having a working freezer to store the fruit
Do you like marmalade? Do you think you might like calamondin marmalade? Would it be something you might try?
The fruit looks so good. Happy Monday.
ReplyDeleterkrsrue.blogspot.com
Thank you, Regine. Happy Monday to you, too. :)
DeleteBeautiful photos. I am not familiar with the fruit in your photos, but it is a beautiful colour.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. This particular fruit is usually not available in supermarkets, unlike its relative, the kumquat.
DeleteI don't think I've ever had calamondin. Does it have a peel like an orange that you remove?
ReplyDeleteIt does have a peel that can be removed, but, it is a very thin peel and it is completely edible, similar to the peel of a kumquat.
DeleteLook forward to seeing your finished marmalade and chutney. The tree has responded well to the pruning. I never eat marmalade. I didn't take to it as a child and only really considered it again when I started making it. I have the odd taste and it's fine but not something I want to get into the habit of eating. I try to avoid that kind of stuff - and also eat very little jam! I would definitely like to try calamondin marmalade once though. (Not that I can imagine ever getting the chance.)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lady Ella. I have made the marmalade before, but, not calamondin chutney. That will be a bit of an experiment, I think. I like marmalade every so often, but, prefer the sweetness of jam. :) My daughter, however, finds jam to be too sweet to her taste. She did like the cranberry and apple jam we made one year as it wasn't too sweet.
DeleteI am sure calamondin marmalade will be wonderful. I love all kinds of marmalade. Some chutney might be great, too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bushlady. I haven't tried making chutney with calamondin, so that will be something new to try. I hope we will like it!
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