Marmalade oranges

Well, they ought to be, but I would not trust them to remember that marmalade is made specifically out of bitter oranges from Seville.

In the strawberry season, no-one in my local (very large) Tesco's had any idea what I meant when I asked them, first for Certo by name, then for anything with pectin. In another store (think it was Waitrose) I eventually found it alongside the jars of commercial jam, not with the sugar and other cooking ingredients.

I had the same problem with pectin last summer. I was with son's partner, and when I saw her approach a youngish assistant to ask, I knew we would be met with a blank look! The assistand had never heard the word before, let alone know where it would be in the shop. Luckily there was a more mature assistant nearby who was able to help.

As I wouldn't actually recognize a Seville orange by sight, having not made marmalade for over thirty years, I will not use the 'marmalade oranges' unless some knowledgeable gransnetter can reassure me that they are indeed Sevilles. I am not even going to waste my time asking the shop staff!

Actually, I got my son's partner to ask about Sevilles on the local market this morning, and the stallholder didn't seem to have heard of them. He tried to fob her off with any old Spanish orange!

It is just possible that any stickers on the fruit will say that they are Seville oranges. If they look distinctly battered and mis-shapen, and are coloured variously from greenish to bright orange, then they are probably the real McCoy, and not fruit of a variety grown for eating raw, and for eye appeal.

Problem avoided for now as I've just nipped down to Waitrose and managed to get some there - though I have a feeling that one of them might be a large satsuma that had got in by accident!

Next time I am in Tesco I will see if it says anywhere on packet or fruit what theirs actually are.

Elegran The oranges I bought last year from ASDA were labled as "Marmalade oranges." I think there were labeled as being from Seville on the box. They were certainly tangy and as you say not very elegant to look at.
I am still waiting to pounce on them.

I was going to suggest a proper green grocer, but that looks like it could be a problem too.

Feeling very smug , because I have just spent ages cutting up 4lb+ of real marmalade oranges (from a local deli/fruit shop which sells the real thing every year) and now I have them in 2 lots in the freezer ready for when I have time to make the marmalade. It always takes ages, both to prepare the oranges and to make the marmalade, so I never do the whole thing at one time. Sometimes it's summer by the time I get round to it, but at least that means that the kitchen doesn't get so steamy.

DH has just appeared with some from Sainsbury's so I will have to get going tomorrow. My local ASDA told me yesterday that they did not know when they might have any coming in. Or the silly woman on the desk CBA to ask.

I've just had a lot more luck today. Went to Daventry market, and although there were no Seville oranges on display, when I asked I discovered that they had some behind the counter. They were ess than half the price of the ones in Waitrose. I also bought a bowl of limes - over a kilo for just £1. They are all in the freezer now until I have collected enough jars to turn them all into marmalade

Managed to get some Seville oranges on Ely market yesterday but not enough so I topped up with a bag from Waitrose.

Made the first batch of marmalade this afternoon. We're doing the no sugar diet so it will be hidden away until the warmer weather when we have breakfast outside.

Next week I'm going to use the same recipe but add some stem ginger to one batch and Famous Grouse to the other one. Actually, I'll tell everyone it's Famous Grouse but it will probably be Aldi's own brand (nearly half the price)

I have made 3 batches, the remainder is in the freezer in "ready to be made" just add sugar mode. I have completely run out of jars.
Up on my jam shelf are various several chutneys and many jars of Damson and Gooseberry jam and now the Marmalade. I seem to make it faster than I eat it.

Yesterday I splashed out and bought a big preserving pan, stainless steel with a thick encapsulated copper base.
Compared with the ancient copper bottomed saucepan that was my mother's, it is excellent. I noticed straight away how much more evenly the temperature of the jam was throughout the pan, no "hot spots" at all.

This pan comes with a 25 yr guarantee, which should do me nicely it is due run out about a month before my 90th birthday.

My marmalade is cooking away as I write. It's quite a weird thing to eat when you start thinking about it. Like some nice orange peel for breakfast dear?
I wonder how little sugar I can get away with adding.

It won't keep if you don't add enough. Although it will still taste absolutely gorgeous. [yummity]

Am no expert but was always told that sugar in jam and marmalade was more about how much pectin there was and not how sweet one wanted it. The sugar is a necessary ingredient to actually form the jam....its not just about sweetening the fruit.

I tend not to use sevilles as its a bit limiting...I have a good recipe that allows me to do a sort of mix and match of lemons, sweet oranges and grapefruit....can make it anytime then.

I had my first go at lemon and lime marmalade last weekend. I had frozen limes but fresh lemons. It didn't matter - I used the method where you boil the fruit whole - another first for me - and I started the limes off from frozen then added the lemons to the pan after the limes had been boiling for about half an hour.

It worked out great

If you use jam or preserving sugar you shouldn't need extra pectin. A lemon or the skin of a grapefruit can help the marmalade set. We all have our favourite recipes, mine is from the Good House Keeping pressure cooker book - ever so easy. Oh and the young man in Morrisons assured me I had missed the marmalade oranges as they were in in September. I told him to check his facts as I have been making marmalade since before he was born, and they should be in now - early January. My local green grocer always gets in several boxes and he sells out. So I didn't need Morrisons after all.

It's real knock your block off marmalade that I seem to have made. Maybe a wee bit too strong

Whisky? Or ginger?