Canning Adventures: Marmalade!

This is the first year I have ever canned and I am officially smitten. I am an utter cheapskate, so the opportunity to preserve goods in the hand for later is irresistible. Besides, glowing color in glass in rows and rows on my shelves is never a bad thing. And there's the whole mad-scientist-in-the-kitchen thing.


Anyway.


Since the garden is officially sad-looking, canning adventures have moved from fresh produce to preserves. My first jammy experiment: marmalade!

Bitter, citrusy, and perfect on the sort of tasty baked goods that are just around the corner this time of year (or already in your kitchen, if you're like me). I used an Ina Garten recipe that (appropriately) is called Anna's Orange Marmalade. I used more oranges than she called for, but that was because my oranges were medium, not large.


Anna's Orange Marmalade
adapted from Ina Garten, original here


Ingredients:
4 large oranges (or 6 medium, in my case)
2 lemons
8 cups of sugar
8 cups of water
patience (you will have to wait 24 hours between prep & cooking)


1. Cut oranges & lemons in half, very thinly. Do you have a mandoline? Bully for you. The rest of us, cut very thinly. Pitch the seeds, save the juice. Using one of those bendy cutting mats is helpful.

2. Put all your citrusy goodness in a big stainless steel pot with the 8 cups of water. Bring it to a boil and add the sugar. 

3. Once the sugar is all incorporated, cut the heat, cover it, and let it sit overnight.

4. So, the next day, you might think "ah! I've waited long enough!" But you would be wrong. Bring it to a boil again, reduce the heat, and let it simmer uncovered for 2 hours.


5. Give it a stir and bring the heat up to medium. Boil for another 30 minutes. Skim off foam that collects on the top. You want the mixture to hit 220 degrees Fahrenheit.


6. Don't trust your thermometer? Chill a plate in the fridge and, once it's cold, put a spoonful of marmalade on it and pop it back in the fridge. Once it's cool, it should be firm, but not as hard as you think it ought to be.


7. Can it! Ladle the marmalade into your sterilized jars, lid 'em, and process in a hot water bath for 5-8 minutes. They'll keep a year.

Note: this is bitter, bitter stuff. I like it that way, but if you wanted a less bitter product, try putting in only half of the peels.