TROPICAL TASTE - The Calamandin

The calamandin is not a widely found citrus fruit except in tropicals countries.  I'm not sure why, but you don't see them in the markets where they don't grow, as you would see oranges, tangerines and grapefruits.

Calamandin (x Citrofortunella microcarpa) is smaller than a ping pong ball, looks like a miniature orange and smells and tastes like a very acid tangerine or a combination of lime and orange.  Other names by which it is known are calamandin orange, Panama orange, China or Chinese orange, and in the Philippines it is known as calamansi, limonsito or agridulce.  As with any other citrus, the calamandin is high on vitamin C.

The little trees, which can reach heights of from 6 to 20 feet tall when planted outdoors, are frost sensitive, so they can only be planted ourdoors where there is no danger of frost, but if potted in a large pot, it could be taken indoors during cold spells in the colder areas.  They have been known to bloom and fruit indoors in colder climes.

In Hawaii you see them planted mostly as ornamentals, although a few people will use the fruit for preserves or cooking.   Since the little trees are self pollinating, you need only one in your yard for it to bloom and fruit.

A couple of years before we moved to the property where we now live, we bought a small calamandin tree and since we knew we were not staying in that location, we planted it in a large clay pot.  After moving here, we left it in the pot and it sits close to our little herb and vegetable garden.

We had it for 3 years before it bloomed for the first time.  Two years ago we had a few small fruit, but nothing to speak of....This year, after 6 years of being planted, the little tree came into its own and was not only covered in blooms, but produced a fairly large harvest of mini oranges.

Although the juice can be used for mixing with water and sugar and making an orange ade, the fruit can also be cooked into marmalade or even preserved whole.  When making marmalade and the preserves, you would not peel the skin, which is quite tender and thin.

Other uses are instead of lemons or limes with seafood, meats or iced tea; sprinkled on fresh papayas; a wonderful citrusy sauce mixed with garlic and olive oil and used as a marinade with chicken or pork, and also as an ingredient in custard, cheesecakes or chiffon pies. 

Mixed with superfine sugar, sweet butter and cream cheese, it will end up as a tasty icing for a pound cake.

In some countries the fruit, the juice and the leaves are also used for medicinal purposes.

I made some marmalade today with our little harvest.  Some of the instructions I found told me to cook them first in water and then add the sugar for a second cooking.  I only cut them in half, took the seeds out and cooked the halves with sugar until it reached the right temperature (220oF) on a candy thermometer.

I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year!

A huge thank you to all of my connections...I have enjoyed getting to know a few of you much better and hope to get to know all of you better eventually!

May the New Year bring you health and happiness....

		Sonia Martinez, Gather Food Correspondent
	Sonia's column, 'Tropical Taste' is a regular twice-monthly feature of Gather Essentials: Food. Sonia is a cookbook author and freelance food writer for several publications in Hawaii, and is also a Hawaii Island Journal restaurant reviewer in partnership with her son Anthony Mathis.  She lives in a beautiful rural rainforest area on the Big Island of Hawaii. You can keep up with Sonia's adventures and ongoing love affair with Hawaii by joining her network, or visiting her food & garden blog at Sonia Tastes Hawaii.