Marmalade time!

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I don't have a preserving pan, so did two separate saucepan loads...

1 Kg Seville oranges
1 lemon
2 Kg sugar (normal caster sugar, not preserving sugar)

To start with, cut the oranges and lemon and squeeze into a sieve over the saucepan, so the pips and pith are caught in the sieve. Remove the rest of the pith/ flesh from inside the oranges and tie them with the other pips/ pith from the sieve into a muslin bag. Shred the peel and add to the pan, with the muslin bag and 2.5 litres of water.

Bring the pan to the boil, them simmer for 1-2 hours, until the peel it soft. Remove the muslin bag and allow to cool in a bowl until you are able to handle it. Squeeze the bag over the saucepan, so all the pectin-rich gloop emerges. Add the sugar and boil rapidly until it reaches setting point. Bottle.

On Saturday, I had opened my final jar from last year. Perfect timing.

[french frank]

Thanks for the instructions. Last year was my first attempt and in perfect truth it was just a teensy bit ... runny. Must do better this year so that I can proudly give away a jar or two.

[Beef Oven]

For "Bought marmalade!" Tiptree takes a lot of beating, though I prefer Frank Cooper's Oxford myself.

But good as Ambrosia is, surely nothing could beat the smell of mother's home-made rice pudding, with the brown skin that my sister and I used to fight over, cooking slowly in the oven.

That's silly, why fight in an oven?

[Ferretfancy]

I bought a sugar thermometer for the first time this year, but still used chilled saucers as well. The Seville oranges were juicier than usual, and I got excellent results using about 4 lbs of fruit in two batches. Delia recommends much the same method as Il Grande Inquisitor does in message 152, but simply says cut up the oranges completely after squeezing them, the pith boils clear.
However, although I use the same technique, I do the whole thing in one bowl in my microwave, it's quicker and less messy, giving perfect results with that lovely Seville tang.
We should have enough for the year, but I've frozen another small batch for later use if necessary.

Tiptree Tawny Orange is just about the only commercial one I can find that only uses oranges and sugar without all the acidity regulators, glucose etc, but it's far too solid. You can extract it from the jar in one lump. No more bought stuff for me!

[Curalach]

Last week I made 3 batches each from 1kg of sevilles, 2 lemons and 2kg of sugar. This yielded about 28lb of marmalade. Like IGQ I have one jar left from last year.

[salymap]

I make do with Duerr, which is quite nice but not up to what my mum used to make. My speciality was raspberry jam, with rasps from the garden, one could get drunk on the smell of it. Gorgeous.

[Flay]

Last week I made 3 batches each from 1kg of sevilles, 2 lemons and 2kg of sugar. This yielded about 28lb of marmalade. Like IGQ I have one jar left from last year.

I must protest about everyone using metric units (and mixing them up with imperial units )

I firmly believe that there should be a law passed to ensure cooking is kept in pounds, ounces and pints!

[vinteuil]

... last weekend Mme Vinteuil, in four batches, made eighty jars <boast emoticon>

We've still got quite a lot left from previous years. I like doing a 'vertical tasting' - trying out her marmalades from various vintages; they get darker and I find more interesting over time. The 2008 is still holding up well...

[french frank]

four batches, made eighty jars <boast emoticon>

We've still got quite a lot left from previous years.

I'm not surprised! Where do you store them all - in the marmalade cellar?

[Ferretfancy]

I'm not surprised! Where do you store them all - in the marmalade cellar?

Naturally the marmalade should be stored in stoneware jars in a cool cellar, what has everybody else been doing, for heaven's sake!

The maturing process should be similar to Jack Daniels, but leaving out the charcoal filter. It is strongly advised to store the jars horizontally, rotating them at six monthly intervals. There are some differences of opinion about consumption: Hot or cold buttered toast ? Wholemeal or plain ? Wars have been fought over less.

[Keraulophone]

Marmalade was what made breakfast bearable at my boarding school

...especially after the gritty porridge and inedible kippers; though one pined for the neat triangles of the masters' toast (without crusts) to spread it on, neatly aligned in silver toast racks tantalisingly out of reach. Boarders' toast arrived in soggy piles, usually burnt on one side.

[arancie33]

The Seville oranges are here & I've started on my first batch of marmalade. Does anyone else make their own, & have any favourite recipes/flavourings?

Just to answer the original question, I add crystallised stem ginger, the kind that comes in jars of syrup, sliced to match the size of the orange slices and at the rate of half a ball per anticipated jar. I actually finished my ginger with one batch to go so I infused a large piece of fresh ginger during the cooking process but have yet to try the marmalade.

[Flosshilde]

So, has anyone been marmalade making so far this year? Operation Seville commenced on Sunday - nine golden jars of the stuff - and I shall launch the second wave tomorrow!

My greengrocer had the oranges in round about Christmas - mutch earlier this year (season) than last. I made myh first batch a couple of weeks ago - standard unflavoured - & I'll do another batch - whisky - this week. I've still got quite a bit from last year (& even a couple of jars from 2010), so I'll probably do just 2 batches (a batch for me uses 3 pounds of oranges - as mutch as will go in my preserving pan).

[Flosshilde]

To start with, cut the oranges and lemon and squeeze into a sieve over the saucepan, so the pips and pith are caught in the sieve. Remove the rest of the pith/ flesh from inside the oranges and tie them with the other pips/ pith from the sieve into a muslin bag. Shred the peel and add to the pan, with the muslin bag and 2.5 litres of water.

Bring the pan to the boil, them simmer for 1-2 hours, until the peel it soft. Remove the muslin bag and allow to cool in a bowl until you are able to handle it. Squeeze the bag over the saucepan, so all the pectin-rich gloop emerges. Add the sugar and boil rapidly until it reaches setting point. Bottle.

On Saturday, I had opened my final jar from last year. Perfect timing.

After cutting the oranges in half & squeezing them I soak them overnight in the water (& soak the pips etc in a seperate bowl of water - which is almost solid from the pectin the next morning), & then cook them. This year I tried cutting the peel in a food processor before cooking - it was a lot quicker & the peel cooked more quickly as well.

flavouring - I did a spicy one with cinamon & cloves last year - noit bad, but I used to have a good recipe for spiced marmalade which I'm sure used coriander seeds; unfortunately I've lost it.

[arancie33]

I think there are probably as many recipes as there are marmalade makers. So, for what it's worth, here's mine which is IMO simpler than many others. 2lbs sevilles, one lemon, 3 1/2 pints water and 3 1/4 lbs sugar (we use the pale golden unrefined stuff).
Evening before M-Day: Wash the fruit and put in a pan with the water. Bring to boil and simmer until soft then leave overnight.
Cut fruit open, remove pips, pith and whatever else comes out and put in a saucepan. Cover with some of the liquor and boil/simmer. Slice peel into whatever size strips or chunks you want - or give it a run through a food processor. Put slices and liquor in jam pan, sieve pip soup into pan, add sugar and boil until done (judged by thermometer and wrinkle test).

This makes about 7 1lb jars and, ignoring the washing and preliminary boiling bit, takes about 90 mins.

First six batches are done and another 6lbs of oranges are in the freezer for a summer top up which we'll need after the family have had their share