I’ve been on quite the marmalade journey this past month. My first batch turned out great texture wise but it was way too bitter because I didn’t remove enough pith, the bitter white flesh right beneath the peel. It wasn’t edible and unfortunately I had to throw the batch out because the bitterness overpowered the marmalade.
My second batch of marmalade not only came out great texture wise, but the flavor is everything a good marmalade should be. It’s delicious and perfect!
Marmalade making is a long and drawn out process. It took me 3 days to make my marmalade but if you dedicate a few hours in the kitchen you can whip up a batch in a single day!
If you’re new to marmalade you might not know that it’s a highly medicinal super-food. Yes...that super sugary jam packs a powerful nutritional punch. That’s because seville orange peels contain two anti inflammatory flavonoids naringin and naringenin that protect against endotoxin by inhibiting its growth in the intestine as well as reduce inflammation in the body.
Orange marmalade is delicious on sourdough toast, with cottage cheese, topped on yogurt, paired with parmesan cheese, a glaze for meat and even on its own!
Access to seville oranges in the USA is almost impossible it seems. I found some on Etsy from an organic farmer named Pablo. The harvest season is just a couple weeks and yields are typically small for this type of orange. So if you can't get your hands on seville oranges by all means, get some pre-made marmalade from the store! If you want to get some seville oranges your best chances are late February through late March during harvest. If you live in a citrus state like California or Florida you should be able to find them easily.
For a successful jam you need a high pectin fruit. Pectin is what allows the jam to jelly up. Seville oranges are naturally high in pectin so you don’t need to add any additional pectin to this recipe. It’s only 4 natural ingredients! I followed Pam the Jam's recipe on YouTube but with a couple variations and tweaks I found very helpful for my 2nd batch from Mrs. Gooses Goodies recipe on Youtube. This recipe will combine both recipes for a beautifully gelled and flavorful marmalade.
I encourage you to watch both recipe videos (links below) to understand technique.
I used 4 and 8 ounce mason jars and followed Pam the Jam's jarring technique which didn't require a water bath to jar the marmalade. My tops sealed tightly and I will be able to store my jarred marmalade for many months.
Delicious Medicinal Marmalade
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