Making Marmalade

Home made Marmalade

 Last week when I saw Seville oranges in the supermarket, I grabbed a bag.  They make wonderful marmalade and we love it for breakfast.  The difference between homemade marmalade and shop-bought is that homemade has a sharper taste. The recipe I use includes the whole orange and is fairly quick to make, although I managed to spread the making of it over three days. Many recipes require that you separate the peel from the pith and this one doesn't.  Hence the sharper taste.  Anyway, life if too short to skin an orange.
The recipe is from my old and trusty 'Super Cook' book and is made like this:

Ingredients:
2 lb Seville oranges
4 lb sugar ( I used half jam-making sugar)
4/5 pints water
3 - 4 lemons (I save lemon halves in the freezer after using the juice for cakes and I used those.)

Bringing everything to the boil in a large pan.M

Method:
Wash the oranges and put them in a large pan with the water.
Cover and bring to boil, then simmer for 2 hours.
Let cool.
Remove the fruit and chop it finely, saving the pips.
Put the pips in a small piece of muslin and tie tightly with thread.
Put the oranges and the bag of pips back in the water and add the sugar.
Bring to boil.
Boil rapidly, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.
Take out the bag of pips and squeeze out any juice.
Test for setting.  (This never works for me. I just boil for 30 minutes and hope for the best. It usually works.)

Let the mixture cool a little and then put in hot, dry, sterilised jars.  

(I wash mine in very hot water, then put them in the oven until I am read to pot the marmalade.)

Cover the top of the marmalade with a little circle of waxed (greaseproof) paper and then put lids on tightly.

N.B. Seville oranges can be frozen and used any time in the year.  I have done it and it works well.

Five lovely jars of Marmalade

Freshly toasted English muffins, oozing with butter
Ready to serve with marmalade and tea

My lovely old muffin dish,
much loved and a bit battered