Sunday, March 15, 2009

Try that Crazy Fruit I've Always Wondered About

Yesterday, I was grocery shopping in the produce aisle, and I walked by one of those wacky fruits that are all uber-cultural that the average simple American has never tried. You know, like the black bananas, and the fuzzy pears and these li'l guys...


No, they're not my women's daily vitamin, though they do look very similar. In fact, these are something called "Kumquats." Tee hee. Right off the bat I liked these little puny fellas due to their pornographic sounding name. Kumquats. Hee hee. Almost as fun as saying, "Pianist."

So, in the spirit of trying something new every day, I decided that instead of walking past the kumquats (tee hee), I'd purchase them. These three tiny boogers cost me a mere 28 cents. Kumquats are really quite the bargain.

Kumquats look like very tiny oranges. Not sure of their origins, I can only surmise the following hypotheses:

a) They are a genetically engineered orange manufactured on the set of a Lily Tomlin movie or perhaps "Honey I Blew Up The Kids."

or

b) A tangerine and pyracanthea berry had a little bit too much to drink one night and...

I decided to give the kumquat a try without first looking it up on the Internet to find out its origins, what it's used for, how it tastes and what its antidote is.

I tried to peel it like a regular orange, but it was just too small. I then cut it in half and squirted a bit of juice into my mouth.

Zowee Mama!

It's not an orange at all! It's a baby lemon dressed in orange's polly-pocket sized clothes. I felt a little bit bamboozled!

Like all normal kids, my children were fascinated with the tiny nature of the kumquat, so I bought one for each of them. This is Roxy's face upon trying the juice:

At age 10, she's not dramatic in the least bit.

So, in the end, the kumquat is pretty dumb in my book. Yes, it's a lemon, but it's also smaller than a dime. So, would YOU want to cut up 2,398 kumquats to make an 8-oz glass of lemonade? Yeah, me neither. Kumquat. Tee hee.

3 comments:

  1. You know of course, that now I'm going to have to go out & get some kumquats and try to come up w/ a recipe using them! I've only ever had them sliced in a salad, and I think you can eat the skin. I'll report back - thanks for sharing!!

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  2. Val -- I have no doubt that you could make something delicious out of the tiny li'l critters. I was just telling my husband today about all of your yummy looking foods on your site. Maybe through my trying new things, I'll actually improve in the kitchen a bit!

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  3. Vicki,
    While I was in TX for my friend's mom's funeral,I tried one of those little buggars and yes you can eat the skin of a Kumquat, I think my face must have looked as good as Roxie's! Although, I have heard there are sweeter ones. Also, I know that the trees grow in hot,humid places like Galveston, TX and Mississippi. I know the Mississippi fact cause they had trees here and there! Anyway, they do aquire a certain taste! My Godmother uses them for an alcoholic drink!

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