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.

Wine Jelly

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening your presents and listen."

-Author unknown, attributed to a 7 year old named Bobby

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This post is a part of a series, Handmade Holiday Gifts

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This is a good one. It's incredibly easy, and simple. And quite unique. I've given this as gifts for years, and it is well received by wine lovers. It makes a delightful hostess gift as well. Package it in small 4 oz jars, and it can be opened up and used on a cheese plate immediately. I think it would be lovely served with cheese and crackers as an appetizer on Christmas day, or New Years day, since it's sort of special and festive.

I will be making homemade cheese crackers to give with this jelly. I will be posting that recipe soon.

It's also a super easy recipe for those who are new to canning. The recipe itself takes about 5 minutes, and you don't really need to do the whole water bath processing, if you keep it refrigerated. You can give it as gifts and just tell the recipients to keep it in the fridge after they receive it, (if it sits at room temperature for a few hours, it will be o.k.) Refrigerated it will keep for months, like 6 months, literally. I had some in the back of my fridge for about that long, it was fine. The benefit of not preserving it, is that you can use different jars to store it, so if save commercial jelly jars, or other small jars, you can use them. That is something you can't do if you were preserving it.

If you do choose to can it, meaning preserve it using the water bath method, of course you can keep it at room temperature for years.

This recipe is quite unique in that it is not really cooked. It is deliberately this way as to not cook out the alcohol. It uses liquid pectin which is considered "instant" pectin. You are probably thinking (like I was) "is this really going to set up since it's not boiled"? I've made this recipe a handful of times, and it does indeed set up, it is a soft set, but it's set nonetheless.

Wine Jelly

makes 6 or 7, 8 oz. jars

recipe from here

Ingredients

4 cups red wine, Burgundy is a good choice, or any red wine really. I used Cabernet

(a standard bottle of wine is 3 cups, I keep the little bottles around to cook with, so I used the standard bottle plus the little bottle.)

6 cups sugar

2 pouches, 6 oz. total, liquid pectin

1/2 teaspoon butter (this prevents foaming)

In a large pot, combine sugar, wine and butter on medium heat. Stir until it gets warm and sugar is dissolved.

Remove from heat and stir in the pectin.

If not preserving-

Pour into hot sterilized jars. When cool, cover and refrigerate.

If you preserving them using the water bath method, pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Process in water bath canner for 10 minutes.

If you have never canned, read up on it here, you will be using the method for high acid food, (if you are choosing the preserve it, that is.)

Note #1** Powdered pectin and liquid pectin are not interchangeable. This recipe requires the liquid, since it isn't really cooked.

Note #2*** You cannot change the amount of sugar in this recipe, if you do it may not set properly. If you would like to make wine jelly that is low in sugar, you would need to purchase the low sugar type of pectin and find a recipe that coincides with it. Also there is a product called Pomona Pectin that requires no sugar. It is found at health food stores.

Pepper Jelly

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow." -Edward Standford Martin

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This post is 3rd in a series, Handmade Holiday Gifts.

I'm up to it again, making jams and jellies! I don't usually make savory jellies, so this is unusual for me, but wonderful. I had some peppers left over from something, so I put them to work in this tangy, spicy, sweet jelly. The great thing about this is if you make it in the little 4 oz. wide mouth jars, it makes it the perfect size for opening up and using immediately with some cream cheese and crackers as an appetizer. So it really does make a great gift, hostess, or otherwise. Something else makes this a great gift, it's beauty. It's very colorful and pretty. I used yellow and orange bell peppers along with red jalapenos to stick with colors that worked well together. You can also go with green, using green bell peppers and green jalapenos.

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I'm not even a fan of peppers so much. But I am a fan of this jelly, because I love the combination of flavors. A little heat, and the tang from the vinegar is irresistible. You can adjust the heat as you like it, it is quite flexible.

I also like the versatility of this jelly. Sure you can use it as I did, spread on top of some soft cheese on a cracker, very delicious. Or even mix the cheese with the jelly as a spread. On a sandwich would be equally amazing.

Colorful Pepper Jelly
adapted from "Autumn in the Country" a Gooseberry Patch book

1 cup bell peppers, your choice of colors, minced small
1/2 cup chopped jalapeno peppers, minced small (I left a few seeds in a few, for a little heat. If you don't like things spicy, don't use any seeds.) Oh, and use some gloves when handling them.
red pepper flakes (optional, if needed)
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
5 cups sugar
6 oz package liquid pectin
canning jars (this recipe makes 5 0r 6, 8 oz jars)

Combine peppers, sugar and vinegar in a large stockpot over medium, high heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add pectin, stirring constantly. Let mixture stand for 2 minutes.

Take a spoonful in a small bowl and put it in the fridge for a few minutes to cool. When it's cool enough, taste it. If it's not spicy enough, you can add some red pepper flakes.

Pour into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe rims; secure lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave them in the water for 15 minutes. Remove jars from pot, set jars on towel to cool. Check for seals.

*edited to add* I forgot to mention, the pepper pieces will rise to the top, to get the peppers throughout the jelly, shake up the jars periodically while they are cooling.

*Note* Liquid pectin and powdered pectin are not interchangeable. The recipe would need to be altered to use powdered.

Instructions for using the boiling water canning method

31 Ways to Eat Pepper Jelly

Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade

"Autumn... the year's last, loveliest smile."

-William Cullen Bryant

This post is first in a series entitled, Handmade Holiday Gifts.

It's that time of year. The time when they have those 5 pound boxes of little mandarin oranges. A good time indeed. A time right before Thanksgiving preparation, and certainly before Christmas, although you would think Christmas was a week away by the looks of stores.

A perfect time for making jams and jellies, when some fruits are still ripe and luscious and you have some leisure time. Jams and jellies are great for gift giving, for holiday gifts, and for hostess gifts. I love making homemade gifts from the kitchen. It's something I enjoy doing, so I've decided to focus on posting about some of these in the days leading up to Christmas.

This marmalade makes a lovely gift. Either in a basket with other jellies or jams, or with a loaf of homemade bread, or by itself with a ribbon and little spoon tied to the neck. Either way I'm sure it's recipient will be delighted. Or just make it for yourself and your family. It is quite delicious. It's tangy and sweet, just right. Marmalade requires no pectin, there is enough natural pectin in orange peels for it to gel on it's own. All you need is sugar, the fruit and some lemon juice. You can choose to can this using the water bath method to store on the shelf, or you can just freeze it. If it is not preserved you can let the recipient know to keep it in the fridge. It will last for months if kept refrigerated (if it has not been canned of course.) If it has been canned it will last for years.

If it is your first time canning and you choose to can this using the water bath method I suggest you research how to do it here at the Ball website. They have step by step instructions.
I made this 3 times. It took exactly the whole 5 lb box of Satsuma Mandarins to do so. One of the batches I made Cranberry Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade, for a change. I've included instructions below on how to make that as well.

Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade
adapted from this recipe

makes 3, 8 oz jars

Ingredients

9 Satsuma Mandarin oranges
water
1/4 cup lemon juice (I prefer fresh, but you can use bottled also)
4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon butter

Directions

Wash the oranges then peel them. Set the peel and fruit aside separately. Slice the peels into fine julienne strips, really get them as thin as you can, then cut them in half, about an inch long or so. Put the peels in a large heavy stockpot, add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Boil the peels for 10 minutes. Drain the liquid off of the peels, then put the peels back in the pot with 1 cup of fresh water.

Meanwhile if you are canning these, get your jars ready in a pot with boiling water, allow them to simmer while you are making the marmalade.

In the bowl of a food processor add the oranges and lemon juice and puree them together. Add this mixture to the peels.

Bring the mixture to a full boil, then add the sugar and a half a teaspoon of butter. (The butter is to prevent it from foaming too much.) Boil the mixture hard for 15 minutes or until it has thickened slightly or it has reached a temperature on a candy thermometer of 220 degrees. Stir this often, almost constantly while you are boiling this. It can scorch very quickly.

You will need to do a gel test after it has been boiling hard for 15 minutes. For me my first batch I cooked it longer than this and it became too stiff. So for the next batch I took it off the heat and tested it after 12 minutes or so. You can always cook it longer if it hasn't reached the gelling point yet.
This page discusses the gel test, just scroll down to "how do I check to ensure my soft spread made without the use of commercial pectin will form a gel?"

When the jam has reached the gel state, ladle the jam into the clean hot jars, wipe the top of the jar clean with a paper towel and seal with new 2 part lids.

Return the filled jars to the hot water bath where they were sterilized. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes is over, turn off the heat and move the pot off of the heat. Let the jars sit in the water for 15 minutes. Remove the jars and let them cool.

When they have cooled test the seal. If one of them didn't seal, store in the refrigerator.

Cranberry Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade

Follow everything in the above recipe, except at the stage when you add the orange pulp to the peels, also add one and a half cups of fresh cranberries and an extra 1/4 cup lemon juice. Also add 1/2 cup more sugar.