Orange Marmalade

I love orange marmalade.

With a fervor only matched by Paddington himself, I could eat orange marmalade every day. Surprisingly, I've never made it. I've been canning and preserving for years, but I've never gotten around to marmalade. Last year, I was excited to see my favorite local food shop offer a course in making marmalade. It was a hands on instructional course, and each of us went home with our very own half pint of that golden goodness. 

Fast forward 11 months. I still never got around to making marmalade. Until today. Each month, from November to April, when our vegetable and fruit shares have ended, we order from that shop a produce box of local fruits and vegetables that have been kept in storage and are perfect for that time of year. Yesterday, we picked up our January box, filled with winter delights and delicious citrus. It was time to make marmalade. 

You need:

equipment - 

boiling water canner

eight 1/2 pint jars or four pint jars

new lids and screw bands

jar lifter, magnet, and wide-mouth funnel

ingredients:

 eight medium oranges

two medium lemons

2 1/2 c. water

1/8 tsp. baking soda

four cups sugar, divided into 1/4 c. and 3 3/4 c.

1 box sure-jell no sugar needed pectin

Prep jars and lids according to canning rules. Remove peel from oranges and lemons using a vegetable peeler. Finely chop or grind removed peel into thin silvers and set aside. Peel and scared remaining white part of peel from fruit. Chop fruit and reserve juice. Set aside. Place fruit peels, water, and baking soda in a large stock pot. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add reserved fruit and juice. Cover and simmer an additional ten minutes. Mix 1/4 c. sugar and pectin in a small bowl. Add to the fruit in the stockpot, mix well, and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining sugar, return to full rolling boil, and boil exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe rims and threads, cover with lids and screw bands tightly. Place jars on rack in canner. Cover, bring to boil, and process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on clean towel to cool completely. Check seals. Allow one week to set completely.