Is anyone going to make marmalade?

I have made marmalade lots of times, I like best the minced rind but have no mincer now and I believe that I can use a potato masher to get a similar result. I have always had a good result, am meticulous wrt sterilisation and getting the good seal

I always put 1tsp of an alcohol, such as brandy, on the top and use kilner jars. Only me now and my current jar was from 2011, with a very good seal. Home made is wonderful and matured is even better

Must confess, after years of doing ‘proper’ marmalade, I now use Mamade, and find it quite good.

Don’t use half as much sugar as the recipe says though, would find it far too sweet nowadays.

www.allotment-garden.org Seville orange marmalade never fails. I also make their green bean chutney every year as I grow a variety of beans its delicious.

I've been making it in small batches all year. I froze a lot of seville oranges last year and make it over a couple of days so the task doesn't feel too onerous, in fact its quite therapeutic. Commercially made marmalade comes nowhere close.

I have made literally 100s of lb of marmalade for sale in my time. Everyone comments on how fresh it tastes. I use my pressure cooker for the first stage. I also reduce the amount of cooking water to 1pt for first cook, 1 pt when adding sugar.
I did give my recipe in the GN thread. Try to find it. Good luck.
PS yes, shop marmalade isn’t a patch on your own, Marmade is very good if you don’t want the faff of starting from scratch.

I walked down to my indie local greengrocers and the oranges had come in this morning. I bought just over 2kg and have already scrubbed in veggiewash. I will rinse and dry in a mo, then freeze in two batches. I heard someone enquiring and ordering on the phone while I was picking mine out. Lovely to handle tham and for them to be so fresh

I am not in the mood to make marmalade this week so am definitely going to be doing a different method for me ie frozen. In the past, it was always buy and make straight away. Different now on my own

I did try a very good brand of commercial marmalade last year, was no comparison to home made from seville oranges

Thanks for the water info GM

I always buy them and then chop them up at this time of year and then freeze the chopped up skins (we like our marmalade thick cut) with the juice, and the pips and pith in a separate container until the summer, when I can make the marmalade without getting the kitchen all steamed up.

I may do, if I can get my hands on any Seville oranges. They seem to be very hard to find around here. I usually used to get them from a local independent greengrocer's shop, but sadly they closed during covid and never reopened. I made various varieties, including orange, lemon and lime and orange and ginger. All went down well.

Ours are in the freezer waiting as we have been having a new kitchen fitted. We make about 40lb a year. Seville oranges are surprisingly easy to get in Normandy and we give quite a bit to French friends. We have a huge copper preserving pan from Villedieu-les-Poêles (God's town of the saucepans). 😀

Yes, I make Seville marmalade and when it runs out I make my mother's 3 fruits marmalade, grapefruit, orange and lemon.

Yes but cutting up the rind is a real pain. I tried the food processor but it’s just big chunks. I now use sharp scissors or a knife but wish there was a better way. There used to be a marmalade cutter but they don’t make it anymore. How do others manage?

Ending up with repetitive strain! Cutting some 60 kg pa with a knife during my “marmalade fortnight” took its toll….
I made marmalade to sell in church. It became very, very popular!

grandMattie you have my total admiration.

I so hope my brother in law will, as per usual, and we will be provided kindly with a couple of jars. As Mamie says, the Seville oranges freeze well. He buys some at this time of year, and makes marmelade with half, and freezes the rest to make in autumn.

His is wonderful because he uses less sugar.

I make it every year and eat on my toast every morning. I will be making six batches, I use imperial measurements three pounds to six pints of water, however have now reduced the sugar to four and a half pounds, it still keeps well.

My marmalade used to win prizes at WI. And I even made it when caravanning in Seville when they were harvesting the oranges. It is some years now but as I remember it I pressure cooked the whole oranges then chopped them up discarding any pips then added sugar and boiled until setting point.

25Avalon

Yes but cutting up the rind is a real pain. I tried the food processor but it’s just big chunks. I now use sharp scissors or a knife but wish there was a better way. There used to be a marmalade cutter but they don’t make it anymore. How do others manage?

I simmer the oranges whole till tender, cool them and cut the peel into strips with a sabatier serrated tomato knife. So much easier.

I put the entire orange in my food processor to chop it into little bits then make the marmalade in the instant pot. It’s less of a faff than chopping by hand and the instant pot means no splattering on the cooker top. I found the recipe on Pinterest.

Must admit to doing the same as Calendargirl, and use Mamade. I have also cut down on the amount of sugar by 1lb.

Can I ask Calendargirl, how much sugar do you use?

Sorry, never liked marmalade - prefer Jam ..

Auntieflo

Well, it’s a bit hit and miss how much sugar I use. It says 4lbs, but I probably put in between 2.5 and 3 lbs. I taste it as it’s cooking, I like it a bit sharp.

I used to worry it wouldn’t keep, but it only makes about 5 jars (should be 6, no doubt because of less sugar), and so it doesn’t last for months.

Then I just make another batch, whereas when I did ‘proper’ marmalade, I had to make enough to last the whole year.

Thanks Calendargirl. I only use 3 lbs of sugar now, instead of 4 and it sets and keeps beautifully.
Except for the last batch, where I mistimed it, and now have to really dig it out of the jar. Still tastes OK though.
We much prefer it to shop bought marmalade, which is too sweet.

Yes, I cut the sugar by half too. We also add lemons.