MARMALADE

Selling next door to Friend's Ranch at the Ojai Farmer's Market gives me a chance to watch Emily's son Oliver learn the business of belonging to a citrus family.

I've am crazy for marmalade ....and look forward to winter citrus. It begins with satsumas in December and then navels and blood oranges and then my favorites; the giant pummelos. The last batch of marmalade I made with the pink cara cara oranges grown by Muriel Lavendar.

This is my basic recipe for marmalade...follow the directions but experiment with your favorite citrus and add sugar or honey until the taste amazes you.

what you will need: knife, coarse grater, measuring cup, juicer, wide and heavy saucepan, deep pot, canning jars and lids, lifter, canning funnel

MARMALADE RECIPE

grate citrus peel from about 5 oranges, using the coarsest grater you have….you’ll need 3/4's of a cup.
Cut down to the flesh with a sharp knife..discarding any pith or peel.
Cut the peel off of another 4 orange and cut the oranges into quarters and trim the core and seeds off of each quarter, cut into small pieces …you'll need 5 cups
Squeeze 1 cup of lime juice.
Simmer the citrus peel, the orange segments and the lime juice in a heavy, wide pot for 30 minutes.
Add 3 cups of sugar or 2 cups of honey and simmer for another 40 to 90 minutes or until it starts to look like marmalade…spoon a small amount onto a plate and put in the refrigerator... if it is too thick add some water, if it is too thin then cook it more...taste it and add more sweetner or another bit of tart lime or lemon juice to balance the flavors…tangerine juice is the best if you need more citrus sweetness.

Boil jars for 5 minutes
Ladle boiling water over lids
Sterilize ladle and funnel in the boiling water
Ladle jelly into jars, top with lids; boil submerged for 10 minutes.

makes 3- 9 oz jars