I'd had them for a while...just waiting for me to MAKE something out of them. 
One day I was visiting Thomas' blog, A Growing Tradition...and there it was! A recipe for Meyer Lemon Marmalade! Perfect! Instant inspiration! Well, as time would have it, I was running OUT of it. Time, that is. So I needed a quicker recipe for marmalade. After an internet search, I found one . And...after much procrastination...I finally got ready. Canning pot. Check. Scrubbed lemons. Check. Clean jars. Check. Lots of sugar. Check.
I chopped the lemons...reserved the pith, the membrane and the seeds...and tossed it all in a big pot and set it to boiling.
Then I added sugar and boiled some more. In the meantime, the jars were placed in the oven set at 200' to get good and hot. Once the boiling lemon mixture was ready...about 25 minutes or so...I ladled it into the little jars, covered them with clean lids and processed them for about 10 minutes. Honestly, I don't know that the processing was necessary. Some say to just cover the jars and let the heat seal the lids. But...I processed them. And they don't seem any worse for it. If anything it may have cooked the lemons just that much more...ensuring that they were nice and soft.Making marmalade was a bit of a process...more steps than, say, strawberry jam. Jam is pretty straight forward. Marmalade requires a few more steps. But I have to say...those steps are worth it. Because it turned out quite tasty!
Not to mention, quite pretty! This was my first time making marmalade. And my first time using the seeds and membranes wrapped in cheesecloth as pectin. (Which I LOVE, by the way. How cool is it that pectin can be made naturally? God's creation never ceases to amaze me.) So each jar has at least one little seed in it. Oops! I'll chalk it up as a learning experience...next time, be more careful about the seeds and use a bit more cheesecloth. No problem! Hmmmm...all this talk about marmalade has made me hungry...I think I'll go make some sourdough toast with butter and...yep...Meyer lemon marmalade!! *If you want to make some marmalade of your own, you can follow the links to more detailed recipes. Give it a try!
9 comments:
such a sweet holiday activity. do you need my address to send me a jar? ;)
Hooray for you! Love those little jars but then again, you know I have an obsession with jars. Sounds like someone else, doesn't it? I've never made marmalade and I know I've never tasted lemon marmalade. Sounds tasty though.
These pictures are so beautiful - light and siry and there really is nothing quite like the yellow of a Meyer lemon. If my husband weren't so anti-yellow (what's that about, really?) I think I'd paint the whole hose in it! Enjoy your marmalade!
Great work! They sure do look pretty.
Lovely looking marmalade! What a treat! And I think you were right to process the jars. I've read a bit about the oven method and it just isn't fool proof enough for me.
My oranges are still sitting on the counter here...
canning just days after Christmas - very impressive!
oooooooh, i can almost taste it!
It all looks so good! And I like the one seed in each jar - it reinforces its homemade appeal. Maybe whoever gets the seed has to do the dishes - kinda like the bay leaf in the soup or the almond in the rice pudding. What? Your family doesn't have this punishment, I mean tradition? :)
yum so beautiful!
Post a Comment