Can Jam: Citrus

I mentioned before that I am participating in Can Jam 2010, where each month, a group of bloggers can/preserve a specific food and write about it. The purpose of this project is to get more people excited about canning and to share recipes, tips and ideas.

 This month's assignment was CITRUS. 

I decided to make a marmalade. But rather than make orange marmalade (which is wonderful in its own right), I decided to make lemon and blood orange marmalade.

Now, for the record, I don't usually make marmalades because they tend to be more work than regular jelly, jam, quick pickle making. But boy, do they ever taste good! So I am willing to put in the time for this project. Just know, that most canning is much less time consuming than this.

Also, I should note that I like to use the small 4 oz jars for marmalade. It is so much work to make, I want to share it with as many people as possible.

When I make marmalade, I don't typically use it on toast or scones (although you certainly can). I like to use it in cooking. For example, I use it as:

a glaze over roasted chicken

a flavoring on steamed vegetables

or a secret ingredient in my salad dressing.

There are numerous ways to utilize this tangy - sweet condiment. And by adding just a little blood orange to my lemon recipe, I thought it would make a pretty color as well as add more sweetness to the mix.

Most citrus marmalade recipes do not use added pectin because there is pectin in the white portion of the peel. But you must cook the marmalade to the "jelling point" in order to get a good thick consistency.

Here is my basic recipe.

Lemon & Blood Orange Marmalade

7 lemons

3 blood oranges

6 cups water

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

6-7 cups of granulated sugar

15-16 small 4 oz jelly jars

Use a sharp knife or potato peeler to remove the peel from all the lemons and the three blood oranges. Be sure to keep a small amount of the white pith (the white undercoating of the skin) with the peel. The white portion contains the most pectin which helps makes the marmalade gel.

Once peeled, carefully julienne the peel (cut into thin strips). You should have between 3 1/2 - 4 cups of peel. (This is measured after they are just fluffed into the measuring cup. Do not pack down to measure.)

Juice five of the lemons and all three of the blood oranges and measure. Continue juicing the lemons until you have four cups of citrus juice with pulp.

For this recipe, you need a large, heavy stock pot or Dutch oven that is also tall (so the mixture will not boil over). In the pot, combine peel, juice, water and spices. Bring mixture to a simmer and continue simmering for 45 minutes. You do not have to stand over the pot at this point. Just keep it at a low simmer and stir every once in a while.

After 45 minutes, turn off heat and measure remaining peel and liquid mixture. For every cup of mixture, add one cup of granulated sugar. (Approximately 6-7 cups)

Meanwhile, sterilize your canning jars for 10 minutes and keep hot. Prepare your lids according to manufacturer's instructions. Also, prepare your water bath by heating the water.

Take the large stock pot of fruit and sugar mixture and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly to the jellying point (220 degrees on a candy thermometer at sea level), stirring occasionally. This should take approximately 20 minutes. 

If you have never done this before, understand that they mixture will bubble up quite a bit as it reaches the jelling temperature. This is why it is important to have a TALL stock pot for this process or the mixture will boil over the sides before reaching the proper temperature.

If you do not have a candy thermometer to verify that it has reached the jellying stage (220 degrees), you can test it with a cool metal spoon. Dip the spoon into the mixture. If it is ready, the marmalade will sheet off the back of the spoon in large, thick drips.  When it reaches this stage, turn off the heat and pour the hot marmalade into your hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rims and add lids and rings. Tighten the rings to finger tight. (Do not over-tighten.)

Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

My results:

The finished product gelled perfectly. The color however, was a bit more brown than I had hoped. If I kept it all lemon it would have been yellow. But the red of the blood orange mixing with the lemon yellow created, muddy brown orange. LOL. But the flavor (which is the most important part) is excellent. So I give it two thumbs up!

Comments

[Fern @ Life on the Balcony]

Yummy! I have a blood orange tree, but it didn't have any flowers/fruit when I bought it last fall, so I think I'll have to wait until next year. But...I could go down to the farmer's market at pick up some blood oranges to practice marmalade making for next winter....

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

Hi Fern!

I grow all my citrus in pots except for a nice kumquat tree I have. My trees tend to do big crops every other year. So perhaps your tree is on its "off" year. Our farmers market had blood oranges last week that were to die for! And my kids LOVE to squeeze them and watch all the "blood" ooze out. LOL ....must be a "boy thing".

Thanks for visiting!

~Theresa

[Alexa]

Looks great--I don't mind the dark amber color. I made a very similar marmalade for The Can Jam, but it was via a completely different process--I sliced the whole fruit, soaked overnight, then cooked it with sugar, etc. This was my first foray into preserve making, and while sticky, I liked it! Your site is going to be a big help as I move forward. Thanks!

[AP269]

Oh, the blood oranges look divine! And I don't mind the dark amber color either. Well done!

[megan]

I'd never really thought about using marmalade in savory dishes, but it's such a good idea! My last batch of marmalade didn't gel completely, so I'll have to get my candy thermometer out and make sure it gets up to 220F next time.

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

Thanks everyone!

I'm glad you liked the color. I guess I was thinking it would be more red or burgandy. But amber color is a nice winter color.

Megan - yes, the 220 degree test is pretty much a sure thing every time. It is worth the investment in the thermometer!

Thanks for visiting!

~Theresa

[Jane]

Fabulous post. I love blood oranges and no I can't grow them here in MO. But I can buy them. Last year I made blood orange jelly. It was good also.

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

Now tell me Jane,

What color was the blood orange jelly? Was it red?

~Theresa

[RJFlamingo]

Theresa, I love the color! I've never canned before, but always wanted to, so this is an adventure for me. I'll have to come back tonight and explore your blog further. :-)

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

RJFlamingo ~ Definitely come on back!

~Theresa

[LeLo]

Nice! You had better luck than I did: I ended up with Blood Orange Syrup. But that's okay, added to whiskey it's a perfect drink. :)

I love the tang of marmalade: it's a lot of work but super tasty. What a great way to kick off you can jam!

[Kat]

I have never really been a fan of marmalade on toast, but had never thought to put on vegetables or in salad dressing. Now that sounds like something I would really enjoy. And the color is truly amazing. Thanks for sharing such great ideas.

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

LeLo-

I think blood orange syrup sounds wonderful! I will be right over with my whiskey!!

Kat-
I know what you mean. After all that work, I had to come up with a better way to eat it. It is really good in a balsamic vinegar dressing!

~Theresa

[Libby]

Those are some great ideas to use marmalade. When you put it in salad dressing, do you chop up the peels a little more or leave the pieces in whole strips?

[Teresa]

You've inspired me! I'm definitely going to give this a try. Also, thanks for the great ideas on what else to do with it besides using it on bread!

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

Libby-

I don't chop the pieces, but you certainly can! Personally, I like to get the whole peel in a bite with the lettuce. But if you think some might not like that, chop it up first.

Teresa-
Glad you and Libby like the ideas. I'm sure you guys could come up with more!

~Theresa

[Mimi]

I don't eat meat, but I'm very intrigued by the idea of marmalade for veggies or salad dressing! Thanks!

[Catalina]

Mmmm yummy!
What great ideas for using marmalade. I'll have to try the salad dressing idea.

[Nicole]

I've just discovered your site and it is AWESOME! The marmalade looks wonderful, and not too difficult! On another "canning" note... I would love to know how to can PESTO. I had a bumper crop of basil (twice) last season and made pesto, then froze it in muffin tins and put frozen "pucks" in a ziplock in the freezer... but now my freezer is FULL. Would be so much easier to can it all and put it on a shelf or give as gifts! Any advice?

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

Hi Nicole,

You really cannot safely "can" pesto. It is a low acid food, but is also a dense, oil/garlic mixture that makes it a perfect candidate for botulism. Even pressure canning it would make me nervous. (Commercial pestos have additives to make them safe.)

You really have the best method already and that is freezing it. But you are correct that it is not very fun to give away a frozen puck of pesto. Sorry about that!

~Theresa

[Stock Pots]

Wow, it looks so easy to do. Home made jam. I'd love to try it, rather that buying it from grocery store, I will save alot, and can also share it with my relatives. Thanks for this.

[Sandra]

This sounds great. I am new to canning. I am finding that it is really easy . I have never use them on other food except for sandwiches and toast. This is going to be new to me and my family. I am used to meat and potato meals seasoned with only salt and pepper. I can not wait to try this recipe and it as a glaze, too,