July 2011 - All jammed up
It seems as though every year winter comes quicker than the last.
I say this because each year I promise myself when the citrus is ready I too will be ready to preserve, pickle, pot and whatever else takes my fancy but as usual I find myself staring at crates of oranges, tangenellos, lemons, grapefruit and blood oranges.
I know it’s a bit excessive to try and preserve every last piece of fruit but it’s my way of giving back to Mother Earth even if it’s self inflicted torture.
You see I love the freedom cooking gives you the layers of flavour you can add the way you can transport yourself to any part of the world with just a dash of spice, enhancing or tweaking a recipe finally creating a master piece enjoyed time after time, but with jam this is not allowed; you have to stick to the rules. Sure you can add things and do funny stuff here and there but ultimately you still have to follow the same procedure.
Each year I say to myself I will make a silent protest and wear a “I Hate Making Jam” t-shirt but I don’t and oddly enough after the torture has ended and I’m looking at the hundreds of sparkling little jars sitting on the bench I have a sense of achievement and a wee bit of pride that I have created such a beautiful product from a humble fruit and then I think of the dollars I will save by having instant gifts at my finger tips for forgotten birthdays, anniversary or the likes.
Most people hear marmalade and automatically think orange but marmalade can be any variety of citrus. It is the process of how it is made that makes it what it is.
As long as the preserve is made with the whole fruit including the skin it is deemed marmalade.
Those foolish enough to try and enter anything but the’ real deal’ in the show arena have been taken down without a second glance.
Oh yes in the regional jam making sections of the show it is very serious business and the winners are what jam making legends are made from.
Yes I have been one of the foolish who have tried back in the early days of country living.
So back to the crates of oranges eyeballing me silently challenging me to take them on and survive…….
Well I will and it all begins with this recipe I found in an old preserving book.
This recipe allows you to make the jam in three days which when you are dealing with crates and crates of citrus lets you come out after the ordeal with a smile still on your face… only just a little crooked for me!
I have double and tripled this recipe and it still comes out the same.
Be sure to always test your setting point and keep an eye on your hob as cooking times do vary according to changes in the volumes.
This month’s recipe is…..
Leisurely Marmalade
6 large Valencia oranges or similar
½ lemon
Warmed sugar
Remove the stalk ends from fruit and discard. Slice the fruit and leave to soak in a covered pan with 500ml water for one day.
The next day, bring the mixture to the boil then simmer gently for 25-30 minutes or so depending on how soft you want your peel to be.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool then cover and leave for a further day.
Weigh the fruit and juice and return to the pan with 650g sugar for every 450g fruit and juice. Stir to dissolve the sugar then bring to the boil and boil hard stirring as necessary for about one hour until setting point is achieved.
Remove from the heat and skim the scum from the surface with a slotted spoon.
Leave to stand for 10-15minutes.
Stir and ladle into warm sterilised jars. Leave overnight to set.
Store in a cool, dark, dry place.