Marmalade

[Ham]

Bought two kilos of Seville oranges yesterday.

However other tasks ahead this weekend include: building up my fixer, freshly back from the powder coater and looking after the Gorgeous Grandchildren for the first time. Descisions, descisions...

The bike won't change, it'll be there next week, next month. The time with the kids is precious and fleeting.

[Tim Hall]

Bought two kilos of Seville oranges yesterday.

However other tasks ahead this weekend include: building up my fixer, freshly back from the powder coater and looking after the Gorgeous Grandchildren for the first time. Descisions, descisions...

The bike won't change, it'll be there next week, next month. The time with the kids is precious and fleeting.

True. Out to the SEECRIT bunker to fettle the trailer.

[Tim Hall]

Last night,1kg of Seville oranges were turned into regular marmalade. Tonight 1kg of Seville oranges were turned into rum and ginger marmalade.

[pcolbeck]

Mrs Pcolbeck's friend gave her an electric fruit juicer for her birthday. More marmalade is expected soon!

[hatler]

This could be the kick I need to finally get around to making marmalade. Jam (plum, greengage, apricot, blackberry, chili) and chutney have all been produced in our jam pan. Deffo time for some marmalade. I get through quite a lot in a year.

[Ham]

'ere's a question. Every recipe I have ever read says "Butter the pan to stop sticking" - I've never done this and I 've never had anything stick. Has anyone ?

Possibly coz I use BFO heavy base pans, but there you go..

[JonBuoy]

I use a fairly thin aluminium jam pan which I would never consider buttering.  It doesn't stick although I do get to scrape out the pan, the decanting jug etc once the majority of the marmalade is in jars.  I usually can't face my usual orange juice with my breakfast the following morning...

[neilrj]

Buttering a pan might be for anti-politician outcome [1,2], rather than preventing sticking.

[1] Prevention of scum - the real problem
[2] Thinking Boris, Braverwoman etc but other scum is available

[pcolbeck]

The new juicer has been deployed and there is a new batch of marmalade bubbling away in the pan!

[citoyen]

Question for marmalade experts:

If I were to buy, say, 3kg of Seville oranges, what sort of yield could I expect in terms of number of 225ml jars?

ETA: a quick internet search tells me most recipes use a 2:1 ratio of sugar to fruit, so that would be about 9kg of marmalade. Hmmm, maybe I should scale down my ambitions.

I’ve made marmalade before but not for a while so I’m a bit rusty on the details. But the local greengrocer has Seville oranges in stock so it’s too good an opportunity to pass up.

Anyone got any good recipes they’d recommend?

[bhoot]

I use the trusty Delia Smith recipe from an old copy of her complete cookery course. Nothing fancy but works every time.

[L CC]

I use one that came out of a magazine in the 90s and is now a stained bookmark in a Good Housekeeping cookbook of a similar vintage. There's no need for anything fancy.

[citoyen]

I use the trusty Delia Smith recipe from an old copy of her complete cookery course. Nothing fancy but works every time.

We have a copy of that (1983 edition) so I shall investigate. Ta!

ETA: just had a look - seems very familiar, suspect this is in fact the recipe I used when I made marmalade before.

[citoyen]

There's no need for anything fancy.

Agreed. I like different flavours of marmalade but intend to keep this batch as simple and “classic” as possible.

[Tim Hall]

I use my Dad's recipe which we unearthed when we cleared the house after he died.  It's scribbled* on a scrap of paper which I've photographed.

*his handwriting, like mine, is A Rubbish. An equivalent of The Rosetta Stone would have been useful.

[citoyen]

I use the trusty Delia Smith recipe from an old copy of her complete cookery course. Nothing fancy but works every time.

We have a copy of that (1983 edition) so I shall investigate. Ta!

ETA: just had a look - seems very familiar, suspect this is in fact the recipe I used when I made marmalade before.

Reading Delia's general advice on marmalade and jam making, she makes a very good point that I must have ignored before, namely not to make it in too large quantities because it takes longer to boil and set. This would explain some of the problems I had with the last batch I made (ended up very dark and overcooked, with tough bits of peel).

I've got 2kg of oranges so will make it in two batches.

Buttering a pan might be for anti-politician outcome [1,2], rather than preventing sticking.

[1] Prevention of scum - the real problem
[2] Thinking Boris, Braverwoman etc but other scum is available

Delia doesn't say anything about buttering the pan but suggests adding a knob of butter at the end of cooking to disperse the scum. 

[alfapete]

There's no need for anything fancy.

... but you can't beat pink grapefruit marmalade - heavenly! Never made it, mind.

[JonBuoy]

I would avoid Morrisons Seville oranges.  From the reviews:

Dont Buy
Incredibly sour and bitter and frankly inedible. Whole lot have ended up in the compost bin.

Worst oranges ever
Bitter, full of seeds, hardly any juice in them! Couldn't even eat a single slice. Will throw away!

 

[JonBuoy]

My recipe from the stained bit of paper folded up in the Good Housekeeping Cookery Book:

4lb Oranges
2 lemons
2 kg sugar (I usually reduce this a bit)
6 pints water.

Marmalise.

Can't remember where I got this from but I love the mixed units and it produces decent results.

[Mrs Pingu]

I would never have known they're not for eating before coming on this thread.

Apropos of which, last week I found myself in Lakeland where they have big tins of pre prepared oranges ready to make marmalade with. I did swither but decided not to bother.

[rafletcher]

My mum used the tinned Sevilles back in the ‘60’s when fresh were hard to find.

[JonBuoy]

My mum used the tinned Sevilles back in the ‘60’s when fresh were hard to find.

The one that I remember was called 'Ma made'  -  which seems kind of appropriate.

[hellymedic]

A 225ml jar will hold around 320g of marmalade as dissolved sugars in preserves make them MUCH more dense than plain water.

You might fill fewer jars than your first estimate, for this reason...

[citoyen]

A 225ml jar will hold around 320g of marmalade as dissolved sugars in preserves make them MUCH more dense than plain water.

You might fillfewer jars than your first estimate, for this reason...

Thanks! This is excellent info.

[citoyen]

Success! 6.5 jars of marmalade* from just over a kilo of oranges. I have another kilo with which to make a second batch, which I shall do tomorrow.

A 225ml jar will hold around 320g of marmalade

That sounds about right. I filled three of those jars, plus 3x 450ml jars, which by my calculations contain a little under 600g of marmalade each. That sounds roughly in line with your estimate. Good knowledge

*The half jar was the dregs in the pan. After breakfast this morning, it's now more like quarter of a jar. Nom.