Last year I ventured into the world of orange marmalade and attempted to make some with a box of Florida Navel Oranges I bought from our local High School color guard fundraiser. As instructed I used the peel, white pith and all and I couldn't get past the bitterness of it. My husband enjoyed it. Recently I bought six pounds of blood oranges to add to a fruit salad and decided instead to forgo adding them. That left me with six pounds of blood oranges to use somehow. My children aren't big on fruit that requires a lot of effort to eat and that meant these oranges were still hanging around in my refrigerator when my husband left to work in Manhattan for a week. While he was away I did some searching and found a wonderful recipe for blood orange marmalade that was minimally cooked and preserved in the freezer. I'm a big fan of freezer jam, it maintains the freshness of the jam and it requires only a freezer to preserve instead of canning essentials. My first batch set up so nicely and tasted amazing that I gave away two of the four pints I made, to friends. My friend Jennifer liked it so much we made two batches together. Yesterday was a particularly nice day so she brought her three children over to play and we made marmalade together. Her hand and arm modeling are in the photos I took for this post. This marmalade has been enjoyed on toast, biscuits, and Challah french toast and I'm sure you will find many more ways to enjoy it. Blood Oranges are originally from Italy and Sicily but now Sunkist in Florida has been growing the Moro Blood Oranges and those are what I found in our local Walmart Grocery and Food Lion Grocery stores. Blood Oranges are available December through May.
The deep red and pieces of orange really produce a beautiful marmalade.
Ingredients:
6 lbs Moro Blood Oranges
3 boxes Pectin
2 1/4 cups Water
8 1/2 cups White Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Citric Acid or juice of 1 Lemon
Soak oranges in the sink with cool water and a splash of white vinegar for a few minutes to remove any residue. Scrub the oranges and rinse the thoroughly.
Using a microplane remove the outer layer of the oranges into a large bowl, do not remove any white pith. The pith is bitter.
Cut the peel off and slice the orange segments into small pieces.
Mix the cut up oranges and oranges zest with the sugar until mostly dissolved.
Microwave the fruit for three minutes and stir until the graininess is gone.
Pour water and the pectin into a small sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir and dissolve pectin, when the mixture begins to boil set a timer for one minute and continuously stir till.
Add the hot pectin liquid to the fruit and stir continuously for three minutes.
Be sure to sterilize your jars, lids, and seals, before filling. Either fill with boiling water and pour out or clean in the dishwasher. Carefully pour your marmalade in the jars and secure the lids.
This recipes makes close to seven pints. Leave the marmalade to set on the kitchen counter for 24 hours before freezing. After the twenty-fours you are ready to enjoy your delicious marmalade.
Enjoy!
Blood Orange Marmalade(Freezer Preserved)
Ingredients:
3 boxes Pectin
2 1/4 cups Water
8 1/2 cups White Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Citric Acid or juice of 1 Lemon
Process:
Soak oranges in the sink with cool water and a splash of white vinegar for a few minutes to remove any residue. Scrub the oranges and rinse the thoroughly.
Using a microplane remove the outer layer of the oranges into a large bowl, do not remove any white pith. The pith is bitter.
Cut the peel off and slice the orange segments into small pieces.
Mix the cut up oranges and oranges zest with the sugar until mostly dissolved.
Microwave the fruit for three minutes and stir until the graininess is gone.
Pour water and the pectin into a small sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir and dissolve pectin, when the mixture begins to boil set a timer for one minute and continuously stir till.
Add the hot pectin liquid to the fruit and stir continuously for three minutes.
Be sure to sterilize your jars, lids, and seals, before filling. Either fill with boiling water and pour out or clean in the dishwasher. Carefully pour your marmalade in the jars and secure the lids.
This recipes makes close to seven pints. Leave the marmalade to set on the kitchen counter for 24 hours before freezing. After the twenty-fours you are ready to enjoy your delicious marmalade.
Enjoy!
