Blood Orange Marmalade from the Heart

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Today is the day we share gifts from the heart with friends and loved ones around the world.  So my dear friends and visitors, this Blood Orange Marmalade is my gift to you. 

 

I haven’t made marmalade in a while and I just got a new cooktop so I had to test it out. The cooktop works great and so did the marmalade! 

I hope you enjoy it.

 

Blood Orange Marmalade Recipe

Makes: approximately 4 half-pints

From: The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 pounds blood oranges
• 7 cups water
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups sugar

 

Directions:

If the oranges are not home-picked or labeled organic, put them in a colander in the sink and pour boiling water over them to remove any wax.  Scrub them well.

 

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of the oranges in large strips, leaving behind as much of the white pith as possible. I had to scrape off the extra pith with a small utility knife.

 

Slice the strips crosswise into very thin shreds.  Put the shredded zest into a saucepan with 2 1/2 cups of water.

 

Cut the oranges into chunks without removing the pith.  Put the orange chunks into a nonreactive pan with 4 1/2 cups of water.

 

Bring the contents of both pans to a boil.  Ok. This photo isn’t really part of the process, I just had to get a shot of my new cooktop. 

 

Reduce the heat and crush the orange chunks with a potato masher. 

 

Gently boil the contents of both pans, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

 

Drain the liquid from the saucepan of orange zest into the pot of oranges, reserving the zest.  Pour the oranges (and water) into a damp jelly bag set over a bowl or pan.  I used my Chinois lined with cheesecloth.

 

Let the juice drip fro several hours and then measure it. I ran some errands while the juice was dripping into the pan.

 

You should have 2 1/2 to 3 cups of juice. I ended up with 2 3/4 cups of juice.

 

Discard the contents of the jelly bag.

 

Combine the juice in a preserving pan with the zest, the lemon juice, and 1 cup of sugar for each cup of juice. I had 2 3/4 cups of juice so I used 2 3/4 cups of sugar.  Over medium heat, stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.

 

Raise the heat to medium-high and boil the mixture until it reaches 220 degrees F. on a jelly thermometer or mounds in a chilled dish.

 

I used a thermometer and it worked really well for this recipe.  Sure enough, the marmalade was done when the thermometer reached 220 degrees F.

 

Remove the pan from the heat and let the marmalade cool for 5 minutes.  It will thicken a bit during this time.  Stir the marmalade and then ladle it into half-pint mason jars or 8 oz jelly jars.  Add lids and rings, and process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling- water bath.  Refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

 

I ended up with 2 1/2 jars so I only processed 2 jars and placed the other jar in the refrigerator to enjoy.

 

Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy

 

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures.

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation

Orange Marmalade the easy way

I’ve been making a lot of toast bread lately so I decided it was time to make some marmalade to go with it.  Marmalade is a traditional British treat that is a wonderful accompaniment to toast. I had a bunch of oranges that I needed to do something with so making Orange Marmalade turned out to be the perfect solution.  I didn’t waste the oranges and I got some delicious marmalade to boot!

Some marmalades seem to take more effort than they’re worth, but this version is so easy. Plus, it contains no added pectin.  It uses the natural pectin from the orange peel and pith to form the gel. The work is divided over three days so the process is easy and the bitter flavor from the orange rind and pith is reduced. Another added benefit is the house smells wonderful during those three days. 

To enhance the flavor of the marmalade, you can add cloves or grated ginger.  I didn’t have any fresh ginger so I used cloves.  It tastes so good. I was concerned it would be bitter because you use the whole orange (except small slices from each end and the seeds, of course), but it’s not bitter.  It’s fabulous!  I will definitely make this again.  

 

Orange Marmalade

Makes: 4 cups
Recipe from Put 'em Up! by Sheri Brooks Vinton

Ingredients:

• 6 large oranges (I used 8 oranges)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• About 3 cups sugar
• 3 whole cloves or 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger (optional)

 

Directions:

Follow this easy three-day process.

 

1st Day:

Scrub the oranges and remove and discard a small slice from each end.

 

Cut the oranges into quarters and remove any seeds.

 

Then slice very thinly and place in a medium nonreactive saucepan. 

 

Pour the water over the orange slices and press down on the fruit to release some of the juice. 

 

Cover the pan with a tea towel and set aside on your counter overnight.

 

2nd Day:

The next day, bring the mixture to a boil, and then simmer until the rinds are tender, about 30 minutes.  Cool, cover, and set aside at room temperature again.

 

3rd Day:

On the third day, measure the cooled mixture and return it to the saucepan with an equal amount of sugar and the cloves.

 

Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until the marmalade gels, about 30 minutes. 

 

Let cool for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to release air bubbles.  Skim off any foam and discard cloves.

 

 

Ladle marmalade into clean, hot 4-ounce or half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.  Release the trapped air. 

 

Wipe the rims clean; center lids on the jars and screw on jar bands.  Process for 10 minutes.  Refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes.

 

Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours.  Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

 

Enjoy!

 

Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy

 

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures.

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation

Blueberry Orange Marmalade

My youngest son loves blueberries so when blueberries were plentiful, I bought some from the local farmer's market.  The vendor had just picked them that day.

I bought a little bit extra to make some jam to enjoy when the local blueberries aren't in season.  I had to hide the extra blueberries from my son because he'll eat a whole pint/quart in one sitting.  There are worse things he could eat so I don't usually mind.

This Blueberry Orange Marmalade is another one of the jams I made during my Can-a-Rama 2010 weekend.

This is a delicious albeit unusual blueberry and citrus marmalade. It is enhanced with a hint of cinnamon. It only uses two cups of blueberries.  This is a good thing because that's about all I had. 


Blueberry Orange Marmalade
Makes: 3 Pints
Recipe from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard. 

Ingredients

1 small orange
1 lemon
2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long
2 cups fresh or frozen wild blueberries
2 cups granulated sugar

Directions:

Squeeze juice from orange and lemon, including any pulp.  Discard seeds and set juice aside. Slice the rinds into very thin slices.  Place rinds, water and cinnamon in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan.

Bring to boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 25 minutes or until rinds are very tender.  Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Add blueberries and reserved juice; return to boil, cover and boil gently for 10 minutes.

Add sugar; bring to a boil.

and boil rapidly, uncovered, until mixture will forms a gel, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. 

I did the freezer test to make sure the marmalade had gelled.  For the freezer test, place a plate in the freezer ahead of time.  Test for gel formation by putting a spoonful of hot fruit mixture on the chilled plate.  Immediately return it to the freezer and wait for 2 minutes.  While you're doing this remove the saucepan from the heat source to prevent overcooking.  If the mixture is sufficiently cooked, it will form a gel that moves slowly as the plate is tilted.  If it runs off the plate, cook for another 2 minutes and repeat until freezer test indicates a gel is formed.

Remove from heat. Ladle into hot jars. Add lid and rings, and process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Thanks for joining me in my jam fest.  Please check back to find out what else I've been making.


Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy


Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures. You might enjoy them as well:

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation 

Quick Strawberry Lemon Marmalade

The theme for this month's tigress can jam is berries.  This includes strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, other edible berries and even cherries.  I like this theme.  I don't think you can go wrong with berries.

We went strawberry picking a few weeks ago so this was perfect timing for the berry theme.  I froze about 12 cups of the strawberries so they wouldn't go bad before I got the chance to make jam out of them.  I made traditional strawberry jam with some of the strawberries and decided to make Strawberry Lemon Marmalade with the rest.

Quick Strawberry Lemon Marmalade

Makes: about seven 8-ounce (250 mL) jars
Recipe from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

This marmalade is quick and easy!  It takes about half the time of your traditional marmalade because it uses powdered pectin.  It allows you to enjoy some delicious marmalade without slaving over the hot stove too long.  That is definitely one of the things I like about this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced lemon peel (50 ml)
• 4 cups crushed hulled strawberries (1 L)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 package (1.75 oz/49 to 57 g) regular powdered fruit pectin
• 6 cups granulated sugar
  
  

Directions:

Prepare canner, jars and lids. For details, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Cut the peel of a lemon into quarters and remove it. The lemon should be large enough to yield 1/4 cup. Remove the rind and cut the peel into thin slices.  Reserve the juice of the lemon.

In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine lemon peel and water to cover.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for about 5 minutes, until peel is softened.  Drain and discard liquid.

Add strawberries and lemon juice to peel and mix well. I started with 2 quart-size bags of frozen strawberries.

I had to add another bag of frozen berries to make 4 cups.  I didn't plan this too well so I had to wait for the 3rd bag of strawberries to thaw before I could continue with the process.

It didn't take too long for the berries to thaw, then I crushed them and added them to the pot with the reserved lemon juice.

Whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

Add sugar all at once and return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot marmalade.  Wipe rim.  Center lid on jar.  Screw bad down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes.  If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Remove canner lid.  Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, let them sit on the counter overnight, then store.

Or give some away like I did.  This was one of gifts I gave my dad for Fathers Day.  He loves strawberry jam!

We're making jams or pickling every month in 2010. For more info, go to tigress can jam.  Be sure to check out the May Can Jam Roundup.


Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy


Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures. You might enjoy them as well:

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation

Making Jam: Carrot Marmalade

I decided to make something festive to celebrate Spring and Easter. I’ve been wanting to make Carrot Marmalade for several months but just hadn’t gotten around to it.  I almost made it for the February Tigress CanJam, but I ran out of time and decided to make pickled carrots instead.

I got inspired to make marmalade again when we made Carrot Bread for the HBinFive April 1st Bread Braid.  I had a bunch of carrots just begging to be made into something and this seemed like the perfect way to use some of them. 

 

Carrot Marmalade

This recipe makes six half-pints so I’ll have enough to give some away for Easter and keep some for myself. 

The recipe is from The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves

The author likes this marmalade with chicken or pork so she added a teaspoon of salt.  I plan to eat it on bread so I reduced the salt and added some cinnamon and vanilla for a delicious flavor.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 large lemon
• 1 large orange
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 
• Drop of vanilla

 

Directions:

Steam the carrots until they are tender, about 10 minutes.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon and orange. Discard the seeds and membranes and reserve the juice and rinds.

Coarsely grind the lemon and orange rinds and the carrots in a food grinder, or mince them with a knife.

Combine the ground rinds and carrots in a preserving pan with the reserved juice, the additional lemon juice, the sugar, and the salt, cinnamon and vanilla.

 

 

Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.

Raise the heat and simmer the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes.

 

 

Cook until the syrup no longer separates from the pulp.

Pack the marmalade into pint or half-pint mason jars. Add lids and rings, and process the jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Let the jars rest on the counter overnight or until the marmalade sets. This part took a couple of days, but it finally did set.

 

Then, open a jar and taste it. I did.  It was delicious!  Sweet with a fragrant spice flavor.  I ate it plain but it also tastes good with bread. ;)

Be sure to give some away. I’m keeping this one for myself, but I’ll  give the rest to my family when we get together for Easter.  This tastes so good, I want to share! 

 

Thanks for visiting the  bread-baking blog. Please come back soon!

Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy

 

Some of the references I use in my canning adventures. You might enjoy them as well:

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
• The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
• Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
• National Center for Home Preservation