Kumquat Vanilla Marmalade

Ingredients
2 cups thinly sliced kumquats (roughly ½ pound whole kumquats)
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean

Preparation
Halve the kumquats and remove the seeds. Tie seeds in a cheesecloth bag. Thinly slice the kumquat halves into slivers. Combine with the bag of seeds and water in a non-reactive container and let stand, covered, at room temperature for 24 hours.

Bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered about 45 minutes.

Stir in sugar and boil over moderate heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until a teaspoon of the mixture dropped on a cold plate gels.

Ladle the hot marmalade into a sterilized jar, filling to within ¼ inch of the top, and seal with a sterilized lid.

To preserve with an airtight seal, put the jar in a deep pot. Add enough hot water to cover the far by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Boil the jar, covered, for 5 minutes and carefully transfer with tongs to a rack. Cool completely.

Makes one (1-pint) jar.

Notes on Sterilizing Jars for Preserving from Gourmet Magazine
Wash jars in hot suds and rinse in hot water. Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and boil jars, covered, 15 minutes from time steam emerges from pot. Turn off heat and add lids. Let jars and lids stand in hot water 10 minutes.

Lift 1 jar from hot water with tongs and fill without drying. Lift both sections of 1 lid from hot water and screw on jar without drying. Repeat procedure for remaining jars and lids.