This winter I knew that "KINKAN" could be eaten by itself. Until I knew that, I had simmered them with sugar or honey. My friend sent fresh ones to me. I got into KINKAN. Now it is the season of KINKAN, it is not long, so I often buy them. Though I thought my family didn't like them, they didn't mind, so they have one or two.And the other day I found this sapling. Of course though these KINKAN can be eaten, they are really astringent?? (not sweet). But looking at them is also fun. And my friend who is into gardening says "it's not difficult to grow KINKAN". So I'll try to grow KINKAN this year. If nxt year I'll be able to get "my" KINKAN, it will be fun!
Mieko, After I saw your photo, I looked KIMKAN up because one of my neighbors has this tree growing by the street. Here we call it a KUMQUAT tree. It is basically for ornamental use and often used as a table decoration with some of the fruit and leaves. Generally it is grown in large pots on a patio and found in Florida, Texas or California. It is very thorny and the fruit not eaten. In Japan, the tree is NINP0 or NEIHA KINKAN and you can eat the fruit. I am sending you an email on some of the ways you can prepare the fruit. Jan
ReplyDeleteJan. thanks for your commenst, and e-mail. I put your e-mail on my Japanese BBS. It is a great help for my friends who study English.
ReplyDeleteSicne I was a child I used to eat KINKAN in sugar syrup my mother made when I had a cold. So I often cooked for my kids. They don't like them very much, but They took them as a medicine.
Now I knew fresh Kinan is eatable.
I'm really happy.
AND I'm intereseted in KINKAN sauce.
I think I have seen fresh kumquat in the supermarket. I grow a relative, the loquat. 「loquat」は日本語で枇杷（びわ）といます。 ...I think. Anyway, I have a loquat growing in my back yard but it is too small to bear fruit yet.
ReplyDeleteI think "Kinkan" is a kind of orange, though it is very little, and sour. It fruits in early spring.
ReplyDeleteand BIWA (loquat) is a kindof peach or apricot. It fruits in early summer.