Orange Marmalade

During summer I love making jams or marmalades from seasonal fruit.  This year I made  marmalade from oranges I picked from my little citrus orchard.....which is just two orange trees, a lemon tree, and a tangerine tree, but it's fun to dream a little. Living in California, the Citrus Capital of the World, at least one house in every neighborhood has an orange tree.  The citrus industry holds a special place in the history of California and I wrote a little post about this in Sweet California Oranges. 

I admit that having a busy schedule almost stopped me from making any kind of fruit preserve this year.  It is much easier to go to my favorite market and pick from an assortment of jams, jellies, or preserves.  But, I penciled it into my calendar and devoted a few hours on a Saturday morning to make a half dozen jars of orange marmalade that will be enjoyed months after summer ends.  Sharing the orange marmalade recipe from Ball Blue Book® that I've used many times.    

Ingredients 

  • About 10 medium oranges to make 2 cups of thinly sliced orange peels and  4 cups of chopped orange pulp
  • About 6 cups sugar
  • About 6 cups water
Steps 
  1. Combine the orange peels, orange pulp, and water in a pot. Simmer for 5 minutes then turn off the heat.
  2. Cover the pot and place it in a cool place, such as a kitchen counter, for 12 hours. 
  3. After 12 hours, cook the orange mixture on medium heat until the orange peels are tender.
  4. Then add one cup sugar for every cup of orange mixture and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
  5. As the mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.
  6. Continue to cook on medium heat until the mixture begins to jell ~ it may take up to one hour. 
  7. When the mixture achieves a jelled marmalade texture, turn off the heat. 
  8. Ladle the hot marmalade into 8 or 12 ounce mason jars, leaving a 1/2 inch space at the top of each jar. 
  9. Seal the jars with canning lids and rings.
  10. Finish canning the sealed jars using the boiling-water method for 10 minutes.
Makes about 6 jars. 

Tips
  • For step 4, I use a pot with measurement marks inside the pot to help determine how much sugar I need to add.
  • For step 7, to test if the mixture has jelled, spoon a small amount of marmalade onto a plate and place it in the freezer for 2 minutes.  If the mixture is jelled after removing from the freezer, it is ready for canning.   
  • For step 10, canning is the last but very important step to ensure the marmalade is preserved well.  The water canning method is very simple and recommended for preserving fruits. Ball Mason Jars has an excellent tutorial on canning.