Cirtus Week: Day Four

The Meyer Lemon!

When life throws lemons at you hard, I usually recommend a vodka martini, neat...

However nobody would want to throw a beautiful Meyer Lemon!

Meyer lemons are known for being very sweet, and used to make good ol' Southern lemonaide. The skins aren't bitter either - as far as lemons go. They are a sort of natural cross between a tangerine and a lemon.

I have obviously been on a bit of a Homesteader kick this January, and have decided that the most practical thing to go is make more preserves with them. *of course* everyone sighs.

I wish there was a better way to describe how this Lemon Jam is both sweet and tangy without being bitter or sour like regular marmalade...

There is not much physically different about a Meyer lemon at first glace... the only difference I could determine was the thinner skin they have, and obviously the sweeter taste.

This time, i took about 2/3 of the fruit and cut it with the membranes attached still ( the "inside" skins).  The other third i scraped the peel clean and chopped it, keeping all the remaining pith and skins in the muslin bag... So I would call this lemon shard or lemon jam instead of jelly, because it is definitely cloudy in the jars, but has no butter or egg yolks like lemon curd

However, this extra fruit resulted in glorious, golden lemon jelly that didn't require a single iota of pectin (rejoyce!) and jelled just like storebought!! (double hallelujah!)

I'm not sure if i could emphasize enough the cheerful sunny yellow color of this jelly!! So appealing...

I wish I had made two batches of this instead of two batches of the marmalade! It is truly a unique and delicious flavour! You will have to cajole me to share this treat folks :)

Here is a glimpse at the things I have canned so far this month!

Green Beans, Meyer Lemon, and Seville Oranges!

Cirtus Week: Day Three

The Melo Gold!

Yup, not quite sure what it is, or if it is a hybrid, because the grocery store did not give the species name.

It is a giant, pithy, and pale citrus fruit which resembles the grapefruit. The key difference being every second segment is much larger alternately. This makes for a pretty cool looking fruit.

In case you were wondering, it is less tart than the grapefruit, pretty tasty ( I tend to peel the segments of my citrus fruits out of the skin because it's the bitter part) And delicious although for the price I would prefer a sweet grapefruit.

And for those of you who were wondering... yes I had marmalade for dinner again! =)

Citrus Week: Day Two

Seville Oranges.

aka Sour Oranges or Marmalade Oranges

This is a detailed one folks! Although I have tried store bought marmalade before, the only kind I have ever liked has been homemade, the rest have been overpowering, and chewy. I decided since these oranges are only in season for about 2 or 3 weeks of the year, and I was able to get unsprayed ones, I would go ahead and attempt to make myself some pots of gold.

I admit, the first batch was a disaster. It was also the most delicious. This was certainly because the sugar/water/peel ratio was 'off'. Everything was perfect but the thickness. The marmalade was golden, and the orange peels were melt in your mouth. 

Marmalade "sets" from the pectin, found in the pith of the peel. Most fruit jams require you to add pectin, like Certo, to gel. Well even after two packages of pectin I came to realize that my jars were still swishing. So I retried, opening all of the seals, and recooked my marmalade from last night.

This worked well, but overcooking the marmalade causes it to become a very dark color, and since I like to use my canned goods as gifts (pickled beans are my specialty) I was sad that they were a very light brown color.

Usually it doesn't require any pectin at all, so I figured I missed a step in the recipe I used and tried again from scratch tonight. Right now my pot of peels is on the back of the stove soaking, which I will explain in one moment..

Regarding the sevilles, they are VERY SOUR! So i only tried a little taste! However I will post pictures of my more successful jars tomorrow, but the marm process basically goes as follows after the jump! (it's long)

Citrus Week: Day One

Aaaand I am finally back!

This week I am trying out all of the crazy and lovely citrus fruits that are in season.

The choice of the day is the Mango Orange.

Looks crazy doesn't it?

The coloring on these oranges is beautiful!

And once you get into the eating aspect of things, you notice.....

It doesn't taste like an orange.

IN FACT: It tastes like a Mango!

Now, I actually haven't been able to find out of this is a GMO fruit, or if it is just a "red navel" which is what the internet seems to want me to believe. Regardless, it is pretty amazing once you realize that the orange you are eating is in fact quite sweet and not at all citrus-y!

I suggest you try these if you pass them in the supermarket. Also DELICIOUS and in season (which I always make sure to buy) are CaraCara Oranges. They will make you wonder why the Navel is more popular domesticated orange...

In case you missed the last attempts at citrus foods, click here to read about my kumquat adventures.

This week I also make Seville Orange marmalade, and a few more citruses to be purchased!

I'm BAACCCKK!

Happy New Years to one and all!

Today I got a new home! This means a fridge and a stove once more, rejoice! I have already started back on my food adventures today. Keep your eyeballs peeled for my exploits tasting a Korean Melon.

Also this week will be my first attempts baking a homemade sourdough from scratch, and a new woman in my love life named Betty. She is 575 watts of satisfaction i could never ever tire from... hey wait - minds out of the gutter! What I was trying to say is that I am the proud owner of a new Professional Kitchenaid Mixer courtesy of Santa Claus, whom i have adeptly named Black Betty, and she is the new love in my life.

Boasting a 5.2 Litre capacity and - A DOUGH HOOK! I will need to make a conscious effort to talk to and visit with real people, and not lose my youthful figure eating bread and sweeties all day in my apartment.

Here's to a new year full of many adventures of the culinary kind. My apologies for the innuendo - I am still recovering from my festivities last night.

Thanks for reading guys I am looking forward to next year!