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)


Cut oranges in half
Juice them
scrape pith and membranes into cheesecloth
slice orange peels
tie up the piths Tom Sawyer style in a cheesecloth bag
put the peels, juice, cheesecloth bag, in a pot of water and soak overnight with a plate on top to submerge everything underwater
(I didn't do this last time, and it should extract more pectin by letting them soak)
Tomorrow, the pot with the peels and pith are boiled, eventually the gel is squeezed out of the cheesecloth
Sugar is added, jars are sterilized, by the time jars have been in the oven long enough, the marm should be ready to be canned and sealed!

(the oranges after 8 hours of soaking)
this is a very short description of the process, but the Seville Orange is a January treat, you should try one, just be sure to boil it in a pot of sugar and water and put it on hot buttered toast!