Ok, so I cut into my gorgeous mandarin kumquat. The very juicy flesh has a complex, tart, rich, astringent, beyond orange citrus flavor. The skin is edible, with very little pith, and tastes much like a kumquat. There were lots of large seeds. It would be the perfect fruit to candy. So I looked up a couple of recipes, borrowed a sugar/water ratio and set to work. Gorgeous bright orange 1/8" slices went into the sugar syrup, and then Sweetheart G called out (she's home sick with a cold), and whoops just like that I had black tar. Oh well. Once the smoke clears, I'll think about whether I want to actually buy some fruit and start over. What a sad fate for a lovely fruit.