My mother-in-law sent some Kumquats (C. japonica) and Meyer Lemons (C. × meyeri) fresh from her garden. They were beyond delicious!
You are probable familiar with Meyer lemons, their sweeter, less acidic flavor is a favorite for lemon cakes and fresh squeezed lemonade. Kumquats, on the other hand, may be a type of fruit that you have passed up. Bitter centers and huge seeds! Yuck! NOT!
Kumquat fruit may look like a mini orange but unlike oranges, when eaten raw, one eats the peel and outer flesh only. The whole fruit can be eaten cooked and is mainly used to make marmalades and jellies.
Best of all, both of these delicious fruits can be grown from their seeds. It’s easy peasy as one of my friends likes to say. The most important (and tedious) part is removing the fibrous coat from the seeds. I use a sharp knife to peel away the white coat and end up with the naked seeds (top).
All that’s left to do is put them in a pot and cover with a plastic bag. The bag holds in moisture and has to be removed once the seeds start to sprout.
It will take about 6 weeks in 65+ degree temperatures until sprouts appear. Once there are a couple of leaves, I transplant my future citrus trees into small pots (3-4 inch size, front) after about 6 months, the seedlings are ready to move along into a quart size pot (back) and, hopefully, in about 3-4 years time, fresh Kumquats and Meyer lemons will be ready for harvest.