Marmalade

Oranges are versatile. With the benefits of vitamin C, they aid the immune system. In the long and dreary winter, Christmas oranges bring a reminder of summer's bright glow. Orange is a standard flavour in Italian Sodas, gummy candies, and liqueur.

Today I tested 10 oranges. They make beautiful juice. I managed half a pint from them. More importantly, 10 oranges is the perfect amount to make 4.5 pints of Marmalade. Paddington Bear would have been proud to carry one of these jars of jellied oranges.

2 cups thinly sliced orange peel (about 10 medium)
1 quart chopped orange pulp (about 10 medium)
1 cup thinly sliced and seeded lemon (about 1 large, 2 small)

Marmalade begins with destroying the oranges. Save the juice for breakfast and remove any seeds and scarred looking peel. Crush and slice the membrane that held all the juice cells and put in a large pot or pan -- if you want a clear jello-like look to your marmalade, blender the membrane. Cut the orange peel into thin strips, long and narrow is elegant while short and skinny is practical. Place that into the sauce pan. Slice the lemon paper thin and add it into the pan.

Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the pan, keep in a cold place overnight -- at least 12 hours.

1.5 quarts water
Sugar (approx. 6 cups)

Bring your orange mixture to a boil and cook until the peel is tender, about 5 minutes. Measure everything and add 1 cup of sugar per cup of mixture into the pan. Don't skimp on the sugar as that provides the needed preservative, counters the bitterness of the orange peel, and activates the natural pectin. The final product will have a minimal sugar taste and be pleasantly tangy.

Bring everything to a boil and stir continually until the gelling point is reached, perhaps around 40 minutes. To test the gelling point, put a teaspoon of marmalade onto a plate and chill it to room temperature. If the stuff on the plate feels like jam, then it's gelled. If not, cook the mixture longer. Patience is a virtue, without it you would have orange syrup.

Once at the gelling point, remove everything from heat. Now you can store your marmalade in the fridge or can it. I chose to can mine, keeping 1 pint in the fridge and three on the counter. Follow directions for your boiling water canner and process the jars for 10 minutes.