Granny's Kumquat Pie

When I was a little girl, before I started kindergarten, I would stay with my grandparents while my mom was at work.  At the time, they were semi-retired, but still ran a large produce stand in Mulberry, Florida.  It was near the corner of Highways 60 and 37 and was very busy.  I remember spending a lot of time there around the smell of hot boiled peanuts and the smell of "green things".  There was a kooky old man that would come there alot and showed me a magic trick with a jumprope that I've never forgotten.  I love the memories of Papa's Market.  Maybe you went there when you were little, too.

After a while, they moved to Spring Hill, FL, near the town of Brooksville where I was born.  They couldn't quite get rid of their love of growing things.  It is a love that has been passed down through my mother and then to me and I consider it one of their greatest legacies.  The home that they bought was on several acres and they made it their own.  Papa built a smokehouse, rabbit hutches, and his pride and joy was a quarter-acre or so of nothing but vegetable beds.  The portrait that was displayed at his funeral in 1998 was him standing out in the middle of his garden surrounded by massive rows of collards, brocolli and other lovely things that he grew in the dirt.

Granny, on the other hand, worked to build a water garden, complete with koi (and to this day, she complains they are always being stolen by hawks and other big birds).  She has more flowers and exotic plants than you can even begin to count.  Their place is very special.  On the property are about ten citrus trees, ranging from blood oranges to ruby red grapefruits to my favorite, the kumquat.  If you've never seen a kumquat, it is a oval shaped orange fruit that will fit on the end of a teaspoon.  It has an edible citrus peel, but is a tiny bit too tart for some.  Not me.  I can stand there all day and pick them--one in my mouth, the other in my gathering basket.

Today, I made my Granny's kumquat pie.  It's easy to make.  Do you want to try it?  I've used some pureed kumquat that I froze from the last time I picked kumquats at Granny's in December.  If you can find frozen kumquats at your grocery store, you can make it now.  Otherwise, file this recipe away in your recipe box.  It's delicious and I think about my sweet Granny with every bite. 

Paula Freeman's Kumquat Pie

3/4 cup of kumquat puree (directions follow)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

juice of 2 lemons

8 ounce container Cool Whip

pie crust (baked for 10 minutes) or graham cracker crust

Kumquat Puree:

Slice about 40 clean kumquats and remove seeds with fork. Place in food processor until finely chopped (peel and all!).  Measure 3/4 cup of the puree mixture for 1 pie.  Measure out another 3/4 cup and freeze for a future pie.

Bake a pie crust for about 10 minutes until it is just lightly golden brown.  Let it cool for about 20 minutes.  If you are using a graham cracker crust, it doesn't require baking.  Meanwhile, mix Cool Whip, condensed milk and lemon juice in a mixer.  Fold in kumquat puree.  Once the pie crust is no longer warm, fill with the filling and chill for at least 4 hours.  Serve it up on a pretty plate and enjoy!