Phred wrote:
In article , "Giusi" wrote:
- ha scritto nel messaggio
...
Having had a long standing cough for no known reason, a Japanese
friend prepared for me an old Japanese traditional receipe; made from
Oranges.

It consists of very small Oranges ( called KinKan, they are just
grape sized, and they are normally eaten *whole* skin and all ) and
they have been washed and dried and then put in a jar with clear
Honey. The idea is to keep them in Honey indefinitely like this, and
just used when needed.

Is there any danger of Botulism developing in such an arrangement do
you think? I know garlic and chillies stored in oil can be a breeding
ground for Botulism. Are sugar and oil different in this respect?
Thanks for advice.
Very different, as honey works as an antibiotic. Is it possible those
things are what we call kumquats? It sounds interesting and there is a
honey farm down my road a bit.

My guess would be kumquats too. But not just *any* kumquats.

Here in Oz there seem to be at least two types. One is so bloody sour
it's really only suitable for making marmalade. The other is quite
edible as it comes, including the skin -- you simply scoff 'em whole,
and they're actually quite nice to eat that way. :-)

Cheers, Phred.

You're both right, Fortunella japonica Swingle, aka Marumi or Nagami
kumquats.

I grow two different kumquats myself, the round sweet type but has four
seeds in each, and the oblong tart type with, typically no seeds or two
seeds. I eat both raw with no problem, DW cuts slits in them and adds to
her tea, we make marmalade from both and have pureed them to make cakes
and pies.

I cut four slits in a batch of them several years ago and put them in a
quart jar and covered with vodka. Forgot about them and they sat in a
dark corner of the pantry for almost a year. The vodka was very tasty
and the soaked kumquats were delicious.