what to do with kumquats – Hungry for Louisiana

Citrus, Desserts, Fresh produce, Fruit, Kumquats

Fresh Kumquat Cake a Great Use of Winter Fruit

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, kumquats are in big supply in southern Louisiana and other parts of the country right now, overloading backyard branches and appearing in the produce aisle in pint-sized containers. According to the LSU AgCenter, we grow two kinds of kumquats in Louisiana, the oblong Nagami and the rounder, sweeter Meiwa.

I have a couple of Meiwa kumquat trees in my herb garden, and every year, I struggle to use the crazy abundance of fruit that won’t stop coming. They’re like sharks teeth. Pick one, and it seems like a dozen more are right behind it in varying stages of ripeness, ready to take its place.

This simple kumquat cake is moist and flavorful and is a great way to use 2 cups of fresh fruit.

Breakfast, Citrus, Kumquats, Local

Kumquat banana bread

At a certain point in the Deep South, it seems like kumquats that will not away. They’re everywhere, from gift baskets to supermarkets to local trees heavy with ripe fruit. The two in my herb garden are putting out a shocking number of kumquats this year, and they’re at their sweet peak right now. And because I’m a crappy gardener with minimal success in growing edibles, I hate the thought of letting any of them go to waste.

A few weeks back, I posted a kumquat honey sorbet recipe that was a big success. This time around, I’ve got a formula for kumquat-banana bread.