It’s that time of year again – the Seville oranges are in the stores.
Recipes for “orange glow” posted below.
Mum's Marmalade - Crockpot Method
2
lb Seville
oranges
2
lemons
2
pints (40 fl oz) boiling water
4
lb sugar
Cut washed oranges and lemons in half. Remove and
retain pips, but discard any that have been cut, because they would make your
marmalade taste bitter. Slice fruit finely and place in pot with 1 pint of the
water. Cover. Cook on low 6 – 8 hours. (Zena puts the pips in a muslin bag and
also places them in the crockpot so that they don't dry out – see other
recipe).
Simmer pips in remaining 1 pint of water for 30
minutes. Strain liquid from pips into fruit.
Bring to boil in large saucepan. Add warmed sugar.
Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Boil rapidly until setting point.
Test for set after 15 minutes. Skim if necessary. Allow to stand until a skin
forms and then transfer to warm sterilised jars.
Cover, label and store.
Yield 6 lb
Frank Jones' Marmalade (Toronto Star)
Wash and dry about eight oranges – make sure they
are the marmalade oranges; no substitutes – and keep a note of their weight. Using
a sharp knife, slice the whole oranges, skin, pulp and pith, as thinly as
possible, being careful not to slice the seeds. They contain the pectin to set
the marmalade. Leave 'em in and skim 'em off just before you jar the marmalade,
or leave 'em in a cheesecloth bag you can whip out at the end. But never let
the seeds dry out.
Soak the sliced fruit in a bowl, preferably
earthenware, allowing for every pound of fruit (remember, you weighed them at
the start?) two pints of water, or three if you want a thinner marmalade (2.5
to 3.5 litres of water to a kilo of fruit). Cover the bowl with a cloth (not
plastic wrap) and let it stand at room temperature for three days, stirring
occasionally.
With lid on, simmer the fruit in a large pan for one
or two hours – until the peel feels soft between your fingers – then pour it
back into the bowl to cool off for half an hour. Don't try to do the final boil
all in one go. Instead, measure four cups of fruit into the pan with three cups
of sugar (add a teaspoon of molasses to each batch if you want it dark rather
than golden) and boil it rapidly, lid off, for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring
constantly. Put a drop on a saucer into the fridge for a few minutes and, if a
skin forms on the surface, it's ready.
Take the pan off the heat and let it stand for five
minutes before putting the marmalade into sterilized jars. If they're not
Mason-type, seal with two layers of wax. Repeat the process until you've used
up all the fruit, then store the jars in a cool, dry spot.
Posted by Zena Curwain.
