Making Your Morning Sweet with Marmalade
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1893
Making Your Morning Sweet with Marmalade
- Great juicy oranges in several varieties are vying for attention this time of year. Juicy Cara-Caras, spectacular Navels, tart and tangy Blood Oranges, sweet Clementines, and for the traditional marmalade makers, Sevilles.
I never liked marmalade as a kid. The stuff my parents held dear was often filled with Seville oranges, which have a bitter taste that takes some getting used to. However, once I started playing with different types of oranges, the world shifted in a very good way.
Pam’s Morning Marmalade
Makes about 8 x 250ml jars.
• ½ tsp whole allspice
• 1 cinnamon stick broken into 2 or 3 pieces
• 5 oranges (different varieties, organic if you can get them)
• 1 tart apple, such as a Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and grated
• 4 cups finely grated peeled carrots (I grate them using the grater attachment in the food processor)
• 1 ½ cups water
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 Cup lemon juice
• ¼ Cup Scotch Whisky or Brandy (optional but yummy)
• Liquid pectin (have a package of this on hand, just in case)
1. Tie allspice and cinnamon sticks into a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag. Set aside.
2. Wash oranges well in soapy water to remove any residue or preservative from the skin. Then use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from each orange in a long strip. Cut peel into thin strips and set aside.
3. Using a sharp paring knife, remove white pith from the oranges and discard pith. Working over a large, deep stainless steel pot to catch juice, use a small, sharp knife to separate orange segments from membrane. Place segments in the saucepan and squeeze membrane to remove as much juice as possible, collecting juice in the pot. Discard membrane and seeds.
4. Add apple, carrots, water, reserved orange peel, and spice bag to saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Maintain a boil as you gradually stir in sugar and lemon juice. Boil hard, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches gel stage, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and test gel stage.
If it’s not setting because there is not enough natural pectin in the fruit, you can add a package of liquid pectin (follow package directions). Once gel stage has been reached, stir in Scotch or Brandy, if desired.
5. Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars, and lids.
6. Ladle hot marmalade into hot 250 ml jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed, by adding additional marmalade. Wipe rim. Centre lid on jar and add screw band to finger tip tightness.
7. Place jars in boiling water canner, and process for 10 minutes at sea level, 15 minutes in Alberta or if you are not going to “water process” your jars, allow jars to cool completed, and refrigerate.