Wash the kumquats carefully and discard any that don’t look perfect. The ends of the stems can be left on the fruit if they are trimmed very short. Prick the kumquats all over (at least 10 times) with a pin or skewer.

Chinese Style Candied Kumquats

Place the kumquats in a 2-quart saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pan, and remove it from the heat. Allow the water to cool down a bit (at least half an hour), pour off the water, cover the kumquats with fresh cool water, and bring the pot to a boil again. Boil and rest the kumquats three times. (This can be done up to two days in advance. Refrigerate the cooked kumquats.)

Place the kumquats back in the pan, add the sugar, 2 cups water, salt, and cream of tartar, bring the pot to a full boil, and then immediately lower the heat to very low, so that there is practically no movement in the pan. The kumquats will be very tender at this point and will easily fall apart if cooked at too high temperature. Slowly cook the fruit for about an hour, or until the fruit looks translucent and dark. Cover the pan and let the fruit sit overnight in the syrup.

Bring the syrup to a boil, cover the pan, and turn off the heat; let the kumquats and syrup return to room temperature. Do this three times until the kumquats look like balls of pure amber.

Thoroughly drain the kumquats (reserve the syrup for something else; see the note below) and let them dry on a cake rack overnight. If they are still sticky dry for an additional day. Place about a cup of sugar on a rimmed plate or tray and roll a few of the sticky kumquats at a time in the sugar until they are completely coated. Place the sugared kumquats in an airtight container with extra sugar between them and keep in a cool, dark place. Use while still plump and fresh. To keep for longer store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Easier Candied Kumquats

Add all the ingredients into a large pot. Cut a piece of parchment paper the size of the diameter of the pot. Place the paper over the fruit and liquid, and put a plate or the lid of a smaller pot over the paper to hold the fruit down under the liquid.

Set the pot on the stove over medium high heat. When the water begins to bubble, getting close to boiling, turn the heat down to simmer and continue to cook for two hours.

At the end of the two hours, the kumquats should be deep orange and completely translucent. Remove from heat, discard the plate and the parchment paper. Skim off any bubble or scum. Close the lid and let the fruit steep in the syrup overnight or at least 6 hours.

The next morning, use a slotted spoon to remove the fruits from the pot into a bowl. Set the pot back on the stove over high heat and cook until reduced by half, about 15-30 minutes. When the syrup is reduced to the consistency you like, turn the heat off, and gently add the candied fruits back into the pot. Bring the content of the pot back to a boil once again and turn the heat off.

At this point you can just fill the candied fruits and syrup into clean jars. They will keep in the fridge for a long time. If you want to make them shelf-stable, use canning or mason jars and follow the manufacture’s instruction to properly sterilize and seal the jars.