Bitter and Fierce - Fun with Candied Grapefruit

I've taken Smitten Kitchen's attempt at candied grapefruit as my challenge of the week. And, oh, it is a mighty challenge.

I tried to boil and sugar the translucent gems into submission, but yeah, just like SK, I find the grapefruit turns out bitter as heck. No way around it.

I may chop up the remainders tomorrow and mix them with something sweet (naval oranges?) to make an uber marmalade. If at first you don't succeed...

Kumquats, baby...

TART!!! And a little sweet. It's time, once again, for the noble kumquat to bear forth it's impeccable fruit. In the San Francisco bay area, we see these bright, sunny morsels in farmer's markets during the January, February and March timeframe.

In all honesty, this is the first year I've ever tried a kumquat. To me, they are one of the "food as a challenge" types of foods. They are eaten whole, peels and all.

I find them to be super tart, yet super yummy. And they are also incredibly healthy, it turns out. Kumquats are rich in vitamin C, flavinoids, iron, potassium and many other minerals. Good stuff!