Kumquats are tiny ovoid shaped citrus fruits, similar in size to a large olive. The smooth orange skin appears rather thick in relation to the size. Despite the tiny dimensions, this flavour bomb fills your mouth with an explosion of sweet to tart to citrus flavour. They come to us resembling miniature oranges with the same colour skin but rather more oval in shape. We just give them a quick wash, slice and dry them. The inner, slightly more sour, flesh all but disappears once dehydrated leaving a hollow golden orange ring, with perhaps a few of the more tenacious white seeds attached. Add them to any sweet citrussy cocktail to counterbalance any syrupy sugariness. Try them in a Kumquat Martini or a Kumquat Whisky Sour, or add them to gin, St Germain, sugar syrup and soda for a cocktail with a lip smacking zesty citrus side.
We will be offering these in our 10g packs, as The Kumquat One. 10g does not sound much, but these beauties go a surprisingly long way. They are also becoming available as an option in our newly rolled out fruit & botanical pick 'n' mix range, in clear cellophane bags (made from wood and vegetable pulp). And they are, of course, organically grown from a certified grower in Spain.
Next newbie to the range will be pears. Not being a pear fan myself I haven't put much effort into getting these into our retail space, but recently I have been asked about them and thought we had better give them a trial. The first batch of these will be going into the dehydrators tonight and all being well should be available in the next couple of days.
Sadly as the season turns, this means we are losing the luscious Red Fleshed Apples. We have a tiny amount of stock left, so if you are interested - be quick! Similarly the supply of Bergamot is starting to dry up.
Also we are seeing the price of fresh limes increasing quite dramatically, so sadly have had to pass part of this increase on. I would like to blame Brexit for this one, but as they come from Brazil or Columbia, I can't quite work out how!
On a happier (and less political note), don't forget Valentines Day is fast approaching. We are leaving it too late to stock up the retail shelves, but if you have any last minute pink (blood orange, grapefruit etc) or floral (rose petals, hibiscus flowers) requirements, do please drop us a line. We are seeing intermittent supplies of raspberries coming through, so if you fancy these, just make contact, and we will see what we can do.
Happy Zesting!