Kumquat Festival

Kumquats are a citrus fruit with a sweet-sour flavour. Every year, Dade City holds the Kumquat Festival in rural Florida - coincidentally, Dade was the place in which Jim Morrison was arrested for lewd behaviour (flashing his particulars at nobody in particular). Jim was laid to rest in the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris after he choked on a kumquat sandwich whilst in the bath in the early 1970s.

Kumquats have recently been the subject of much consternation on the problem pages of Israeli newspapers. Aviva Oberman wanted to know how to prevent the fruit in her marmalade rising to the top. As any self-respecting visitor to Fruit Corner would be able to point out, she probably didn't cut a deep 'X' in the top of the kumquats before she cooked them.

Contestants are judged on factors including poise (balancing an apple on their tiaras?), professionalism and knowledge of the Michigan apple industry. Fancy a go?

Kumquat Castle

Cult author Richard Brautigan lived in Kumquat Castle, located somewhere in Minnesota, which is where Prince is from.We think Prince's best album was Parade, or maybe Controversy, but a lot of people would plump for Sign o' the Times. Anyway, Brautigan was a keen trout angler and wrote books and poems about love, death, sex and Japan, including a very moving piece about driving through Shibuya looking at all the young couples in love whilst all he had was a few pictures of carp.

between meals snack

Peter Falk, TV's dishevelled private eye Columbo, favours the bite-sized citrus fruit as a between meals snack. Many a visiting journalist has been offered fruit goodness from the tree in Falk's back garden, before he broaches his favourite subject, modern art. Incidentally, word has it that Peter is in good shape these days, and nothing like the grubby, wheezing chap we're used to on our screens.