April 15, 2013

The season for navel oranges wanes and for weeks, as I bring the drops in the kitchen, I’ve muttered that I need to make marmalade . I had hopes of doing it with my sister, as in recent years, but it was not to be.

So after obligatory activities on my weekday off, I plunged into making marmalade at three in the afternoon. (What was I thinking?) The task is easier when my sister, Carol and I do tag team. We work well together in the kitchen. Several years ago we made 77 jars in one very long day. 

Later, as I slugged through the clean-up and dishes, the popping lids assured me of proper seals . I left the kitchen at 10:30 with 24 jars cooling on the counter and feelings of satisfaction and gratitude.

Here’s how I make orange marmalade. I slice the oranges ever so thinly before cooking them. As a child I didn’t like my grandmother’s orange marmalade. Was it a childish palate or were the chunks of rind too large? I think the latter.

My mom, like my grandmother, was known for her jams. Orange marmalade was her specialty. She used the MCP pectin recipe and so do I. Using an over-sized pot keeps the stove clean.

With all the elements assembled, filling of the jam jars begins. 

I still use a few vintage Kerr jars that belonged to my grandmother.

And, on a lark, my sister, Carol and her husband came for the day on Saturday. She took marmalade home. Next year should we try for a record number of jars?

Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne’s Dandelions. It’s a time to share what you’re harvesting in your garden or how you’re storing or using it.