Orange Marmalade, Part 2

I'm excited, my first marmalade is a success! It's tangy and sweet, just like the European marmalade Mountain Man remembers.

I completed step 1 yesterday, click on this link to get the directions for preparing the fruit.

Orange Marmalade

Ingredients:
1 quart thinly sliced orange peel (about 6 large)
1 quart orange slices, cut (about 6 large)
1 quart thinly sliced oranges with peel (about 6 small)
2 cups thinly sliced Meyers lemons (2 large)
2 1/4 cups water
Sugar, about 9 cups (equal amount sugar to fruit mixture on day 2)

Directions (continued from yesterday):
After the fruit has rested overnight, you are ready to make the marmalade.

Have your cleaned, sterilized jars staying warm in a low heat oven. Put the seals and rings in a pan of water on low. This keeps both the jar and lid clean and hot (important for a good seal).

Cook the mixture, uncovered over medium high heat for about 1 hour. 

Measure the fruit and liquid.

 I ended up with 14 cups (much more than I expected).

I added 14 cups of sugar (it should equal the amount of day #2's cooked fruit mixture).

 You will see the mixture thicken up right away.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring periodically. The mixture will foam quite a bit; be sure to keep a close eye on it so it doesn't overflow.

Boil the marmalade until it passes the spoon test test, at least 25 minutes. I chose to stop cooking at the 25 minute mark even though the mixture seemed a little thin--my last couple batches of jam have been quite thick, see my jam fix--I'd prefer my marmalade be too soft than too hard; at least the soft jam will come out of the jar!

Using a large mouth funnel (this is a must have tool for making jam) spoon the hot marmalade into your clean jar,

 and hand tighten the lid.

Place the jars into a covered boiling water bath for 10 minutes (adjust for altitude as needed).

Place the jars on a rack (I'm not showing them on the rack here, the jars on the racks were too big for a photo) in a draft free spot to cool--listen for that delightful popping sound, indicating the jars have sealed.

I put the little bit of remaining of marmalade into a bowl, this will go directly into the fridge. It made for easy tasting. As I mentioned earlier, it's quite tart, but is balanced by the sweetness--if you want a little sweeter marmalade use a little more sugar and cut some of the pith (white stuff) off the peel, it can be bitter.

Looks pretty, doesn't it?

For more interesting recipes visit Homestead Barn Hop, A Bright and Beautiful Life and Flour Me With Love.

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise