Marmalade

I have no idea what possessed me to make marmalade. But I did. And, like most things homemade, it tastes amazing.

Pictured (from L - R) are the star ingredients - a tangerine of forgotten origins, a Cara Cara orange, a blood orange, and the inside bits of a second Cara Cara. Plus the saved, julienned rind of another orange (Cara Cara? Navel? IDK) 

A quick Pinterest search pulled up a daunting list of recipes. Without wanting to bore you, dear reader, with stories of my youth connected to orange marmalade, or where I first had it, here is the recipe. Important notes will follow. 

Ingredients:

4 oranges (I used three different kinds to impact the flavor profile)

The julienned rind of four oranges

Juice of half a lemon, plus julienned rind if you feel like it. 

2 cups of white sugar

2 cups (16 oz) of water

1 tbsp vanilla

Materials

Large spoon

Microplane or v. sharp paring knife 

Medium saucepan

V. Sharp paring knife

An immersion blender (optional)

Bowl for peel, fruit pieces 

Citrus mauler or juicer

Candy or another food thermometer (optional)

Timer or favorite time keeping device- I’m a huge fan of Hulu or Netflix (one 45 minute episode is about how much time it will take for the jelly to cook)

Clean Glass jar/jars to store product!

Any necessary canning equipment, such as water bath, canning funnel, et cetera, if you plan to preserve some of this goodness for later. If so, wash jars and bands/ glass lids in hot soapy water, and sterilize. I wash, then throw everything into the canning pot, and let it come to and boil as I prep and cook the ingredients. Bringing the water bath to boil and boiling for 15 minutes usually takes the same amount of time it takes to prep and cook. Also, boiling jars more than 15 minutes never killed anyone. 

*this recipe makes exactly 7 (seven) of the tiny, 1/4 pint Ball jars (that’s like 4oz per jar?)*

Method

*if you are planning to preserve the fruit of your labor, set the water bath up now, with the jars and lids inside with enough water to cover them by two inches, and for heavens sakes, don’t forget to turn the burner on 😉)*

Wash citrus in warm water to help remove any wax (it’s food safe but still. Eww). With a paring knife or Microplane, remove as much of outer rind without white pith as you can. The pith will make your marmalade bitter, so adjust to your own taste. Chop rinds into small segments if you have ribbons, about 1-2 inches long. 

Peel citrus, removing as much of the white pith as you can. Break apart the fruit into its individual petals. Chop fruit into smaller pieces, about 1 inch. Citrus does not need to be separated from the membrane, just remove white pith and seeds. Cut the lemon in half, zest outer rind and add to the orange rind, juice lemon, removing seeds.

Put fruit and water into a saucepan on medium heat. Incorporate sugar one cup at a time, stirring until dissolved. (Or throw it in all at once, but make sure you stir!); add vanilla.

***

At this time, it is important to remember that basically what you are making is a jelly. This takes more time than you might think if you haven’t done it before.

This is where setting a timer or Netflix comes in handy. Set a 45-minute timer or put on a 45-minute episode of something you wouldn't mind watching again and are fairly familiar with already. For me, this could be an episode of Star Trek, Firefly, the early seasons of NCIS or the BBC's Father Brown or Death in Paradise [crime drama much?]. The length of the show [45 minutes] is about how long it's going to take for the sugars and fruit to gel, maybe a little longer, and if you're anything like me, standing and stirring molten sugar water for 45 minutes gets boring. The thermometer is also handy, as jelly happens at 220* F. The jelly needs to be stirred or it will scorch, hence the familiar story.

Once the marmalade has reached 220*, it's ready! If not canning, funnel into a quart-size glass jar and cap. Let cool before refrigerating. [why glass? it doesn't leech chemicals when exposed to heat, unlike plastic]

If canning, ladle into glass jars one at a time; wipe rim, place lid and secure ring, replacing in water bath. Process for 15 minutes. Remove jars and listen for that magical pop sound; check that lids have sealed by examining the lid's dimple. If it's down, you're good. Anything that did not seal will have to be reprocessed or put in the refrigerator.  I didn't have 7 containers, I planned for 6, so I hastily cleaned a small glass jar that had pesto in it, and funneled the last bits of the marmalade into it. Paddington Bear would be proud.

If you're still confused, check out Alton Brown's marmalade instructions - his recipe will make more than mine, but he actually teaches you to cook, and tells you what to look for.