This is citrus season in Orange County. There are very few commercial citrus groves here now - their place has been taken by what SCalifornia grows best, houses and shopping malls and freeways. But there are citrus trees of many kinds in back (and front) yards.
This is a very young kumquat tree, only about six feet tall, but it has a bumper crop of fruit. It grows in the front yard of a neighbor. I don't know if she uses the fruit, personally I don't find it appealing raw, but I love kumquat marmalade. I haven't made it for years though there are lots of kumquat trees around and the owners would share fruit. No incentive, I guess.
The fruit will fit comfortably in my cupped hand. Although I didn't notice until I downloaded the photos to my computer there is a mayfly on the leaf. Perhaps that will give you a good comparison for size.
Here is a blog with a post about kumquats that I found interesting:
http://tinyurl.com/c3q3rv
4 comments:
Del- When I was a child I thought kumquats weren't real. There is a line in the musical "The Fantastiks" that says "You're standing on my Kumquats!", and my brother and sister and I thought that was so funny and made it into a family joke. It reminds me of happy times - and happy music - to see your photos.
As children we laughed at the name Kumquats too! They looks so inviting, but are not very nice to eat raw!
But I LOVE them raw! I have a small pampered tree that rewards me with these beautiful and delicious fruits. I find the rind makes my lips sting if I bite into it, but if I slice them and remove the seeds, they make a wonderful substitute for fresh oranges.
Martha Ginn
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
60 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico
I too love kumquats. Jer buys them for me as a very special treat. I don't mind eathing them whole, seed and all. The first time I ate one, I swear, the hair on my head stood straight up. It felt good --snort--
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