Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Meyer Lemon Marmalade with Irish Soda Bread

"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons."

-Alfred E. Neuman

I love making jam. I feel such a sense of accomplishment whenever I do any canning or preserving. I love the idea of being able to enjoy fruit, even in a jelly, at it's peak, from a jar. What a great feeling to enjoy the bright spring flavor of Meyer lemon marmalade in the depths of winter.

 When I got these wonderful Meyer lemons I knew I was going to preserve them somehow since I love them so. I've made 2 batches so far of this delicious marmalade.  This stuff really retains the bright flavor of these delicious lemons. It is wonderfully both tart and sweet.

Meyer lemons have enough pectin in them so no commercial pectin is needed. The only ingredients are lemons and sugar. The sugar helps it set, so it is a crucial ingredient.

I like to juice the lemons and then cut up the peels. I find this much easier than thinly slicing the lemons themselves. Whenever I try to thinly slice a Meyer lemon (no matter how sharp my knife is) it just squishes. There is so much juice inside, I lose juice on the cutting board. I tried using a mandoline, loss of juice with that method too.

When making any type of jam that doesn't use commercial pectin it can be tricky determining when it's done. The reason is there are many variables. When fruit is over ripe, it has less pectin. When it is under ripe, more.

But once you get the hang of it, it will come easy to you. Don't let this discourage you from making homemade jam.

Looking for more jam recipes? 

Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade

 Pepper Jelly 

Wine Jelly

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

This recipe only works for Meyer lemons due to their sweetness and thin skins, don't replace regular lemons in this recipe, better to find a recipe made for regular lemons.

This recipe makes about 4 -half pint jars

Ingredients

1.5 lbs (597 g.) Meyer Lemons (about 6 lemons)

4 cups (1 liter) water

4 cups (778 g.) sugar

Directions

Halve the lemons and juice them, reserving the peel and discarding the seeds and white pith inside the lemon. Pile up some of the peels, and very thinly slice them. I mean slice them as thin as you can get them. Then cut them in small, about 2 inch, pieces.

Place the juice, water, and peels in a large non reactive (not aluminum) pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium high, simmer and reduce until it has reduced to 5 cups. This takes 20-30 minutes.

Now add the sugar, stir and bring it back to a boil. Place a small plate in the freezer. Cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes until it has reached the gelling point. This is going to be a little over 200 Fahrenheit, degrees Fahrenheit, 93 degrees Celsius. I have read that the gelling point should be reached at 220 degrees Fahrenheit, 104 degrees Celsius, in my opinion that's too high. At that point I've had marmalade's be much too thick. Better to test it on the frozen plate. Place a spoonful of marmalade on the cold plate then place in the freezer. When it's cold, if you run your finger through it and it stays in place, it's done. If it's still liquid and runny, then it needs to be cooked longer. While doing the freezer test take it off the heat for a few minutes.

If it still hasn't gelled, cook it for 5 minutes longer, then test again.

This will keep many months in the refrigerator.

To keep it for years, to preserve it, ladle into hot jars, and process using the hot water method used for high acid foods for 10 minutes.

Or you may freeze it.