Kendall Farms | Dwarf Calamondin

The History of Calamondin

Calamondin (citrofortunella microcarpa), arguably the most beautiful of all citrus is a native in the Philippines and China. It is cultivated in Southeast Asia, the USA and Europe, where it is grown mainly as an outstanding ornamental. The early name of the fruit was given the botanical name of Citrus madurensis loureiro by a man named Loureiro who found this unusual fruit on the island of Madura, near Java. Later it was changed to the new classification. A man named Lathrop introduced this unusual fruit, the Calamondin, in Florida in 1899 with a name 'acid orange.' Later, Dr. David Fairchild, who came from Panama, introduced it as 'Panama orange.' The fruit had come to Chile as a stock for mandarin oranges and from Chile went to Panama. Among alternate common names are: Calamondin orange; Chinese, or China, orange; Panama orange; golden lime; scarlet lime; and, in the Philippines, kalamondin, kalamunding, kalamansi, calamansi, limonsito, or agridulce. Malayan names are limau kesturi ("musk lime") and limau chuit. In Thailand, it is ma-nao-wan. While in Japan, they call it, sikikan.

The Kendall Farms Range

The tree, which is often trained as a bonsai, will bloom year-round; filling the air with the aroma of citrus blossom. Flower and fruit often will appear at the same time. Calamondin is widely grown as an ornamental bush in California and Florida. It is grown sometimes as a house plant, and it is quite showy when fruits are ripe. The trees bloom all year under warm weather and it can have flowers, green fruits, and mature fruits at any given time. It can be grown as a dooryard tree throughout the citrus belt and will do very well as a container plant in colder locations in north Florida if protected from cold. It can also be used as a living Christmas tree.

Calamondin will make a beautiful addition to your home garden.

Cultivation Notes

The calamondin is hardier to cold than any other true citrus specie and only the trifoliate orange and the kumquat are more tolerant to low temperatures. It can be successfully grown outside throughout California, Florida, and the gulf coast. It is moderately drought-tolerant. It makes an excellent container plant in colder areas. It has upright branches with very few thorns and can grow up to 10 feet high. Its 3-inch evergreen leaves are broadly oval and pale green below like those of the kumquat. Its flowers are white and small. The 2 inch-wide fruit is small, depressed, globose and deep orange-yellow when ripe, loose-skinned and, segmented. The pulp is very acidic. Mature fruit can be produced year round.

Health Benefits

The fruits may be crushed with the saponaceous bark of Entada Phaseoloides Merr. for healthy shampooing the hair, or the fruit juice applied to the scalp after shampooing. It eliminates itching and promotes hair growth. Rubbing calamondin juice on insect bites banishes the itching and irritation. It bleaches freckles and helps to clear up acne vulgaris and pruritus vulvae. It is taken orally as a cough remedy and antiphlogistic. Slightly diluted and drunk warm, it serves as a laxative. Combined with pepper, it is prescribed in Malaya to expel phlegm. The distilled oil of the leaves serves as a carminative with more potency than peppermint oil. The volatile oil content of the leaves is 0.90% to 1.06%.

Interesting Facts

Calamondin halves or quarters may be served with iced tea, seafood and meats, to be squeezed for the acid juice. They were commonly so used in Florida before limes became plentiful. Some people boil the sliced fruits with cranberries to make a tart sauce. Calamondin are also preserved whole in sugar syrup, or made into sweet pickles, or marmalade. A superior marmalade is made by using equal quantities of Calamondin and kumquats. In Hawaii, calamondin-papaya marmalade is popular. In Malaya, the calamondin is an ingredient in chutney. Whole fruits, fried in coconut oil with various seasonings, are eaten with curry. The preserved peel is added as flavouring to other fruits stewed or preserved.

The juice is primarily valued for making acid beverages. It is often employed like lime or lemon juice to make gelatine salads or desserts, custard pie or chiffon pie. In the Philippines, the extracted juice, with the addition of gum tragacanth as an emulsifier, is pasteurized and bottled commercially. This product must be stored at low temperature to keep well. Pectin is recovered from the peel as a by-product of juice production.

The fruit juice is used in the Philippines to bleach ink stains from fabrics. It also serves as a body deodorant.

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CALAMONDIN PIE WITH OATMEAL COOKIE

CRUST

Preparation time

30 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons natural sugar
1/4 cup apple sauce

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 cup water
3/4 cup Calamondin juice
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Calamondin rind

Method

Preheat oven to 375 F and lightly oil a 9-inch pie pan.

Put the oats into a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend well. Transfer to a bowl and add the apple sauce. Stir well until completely combined. Put the mixture into the pie pan, and starting at the centre, flatten and press it with moistened fingers until it evenly covers the bottom and extends up the sides of the pan as far as possible. Put it in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, until it it is crisp but not overdone. Set aside to cool before filling.

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the soymilk and water until completely combined. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. (Do not leave it even for a minute or you may have lumps and burned pieces in your pie filling!) When it reaches a boil, turn the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the Calamondin juice and chopped rind. When well-mixed, pour into the pie crust. (If you have any extra, pour it into small bowls for a crust-free dessert.)

Chill until set and serve with a low-fat whipped cream.

Recipe found at www.fatfreevegan.com

For a unique citrus alternative to Orange/Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, why not try:

CALAMONDIN AND POPPY SEED MUFFINS

Ingredients

Melted butter, to grease

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

185ml (3/4 cup) milk

375g (2 1/2 cups) self-raising flour

155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar

125g butter, melted

2 eggs, lightly whisked

2 tsp finely shredded orange rind

1/3 cup fresh Calamondin juice

Icing sugar, to dust

Method

Preheat oven to 190°C. Brush twelve 80ml (1/3-cup) capacity non-stick muffin pans with melted butter to lightly grease. Combine the poppy seeds and 60ml (1/4 cup) of the milk in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes. Combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add the poppy-seed mixture along with remaining milk, butter, egg, orange rind and juice, and stir with a metal spoon until just combined (do not over mix).

Spoon the batter among prepared muffin pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature dusted with icing sugar.