Three Citrus Marmalade

 Marmalade is not a regular part of my preserving repertoire.  But in late winter, wishing for an early spring (sigh) I decided to make marmalade- three citrus marmalade to be exact.  This recipe is from Marisa McClellan Food In Jars.  

Please note that technically I did three citrus but really it was two different types of oranges (navel and mandarin) and lemons, ‘cauz that’s what I had in the refrigerator.

To make 7 x 250 ml

Ingredients

2         pink grapefruit 

3        lemons

4        navel oranges

6 cups. Sugar

4 cups. Zest poaching liquid

Directions

Wash and dry the fruit: using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the fruit, cut zest strips into a fine confetti.  Combine the zest in a pot with 6 cups of cold water.  Bring to a boil, reduce the temperature to medium high and simmer for half an hour.

While the zest cooks, cut the white pith away from the fruit and separate the fruit from the membranes.  Collect the interior fruit in a large measuring cu and set the membranes any seeds aside.

When all the fruit has been broken down, bundle the reserved pith and seeds into a length of cheesecloth, tying the cloth well so that no seeds can escape.

Drain the zest, reserving the cooking liquid.

In a large stainless steel r enameled cast iron pot, combine zest, citrus fruit, 4 cups of zest cooking liquid, 6 cups of sugar and the cheesecloth bundle.

Bring to a boil and cook vigorously until the mixture reaches 220 degrees (about 30-40 minutes).  When the marmalade reaches 220 degrees and sustains it for one minute, remove the pot from the heat. Grab the cheesecloth bundle with a pair of tongs and squeeze gently to remove any syrup.

Stir the marmalade for about a minute off the heat, to help the zest bits become evenly spread throughout the preserve.

Fill the prepared jars, wipe rims, apply lids and screw bands.  Place in a steam canner and process for 10 minutes once the indicator is in “the green zone”.  When the time is up, carefully remove the lid and let the jars sit for about 10 minutes.  Remove from the canner; check the seals.

Note: this recipe does not use pectin but rather uses calls on the seeds from the citrus to provide the pectin.This marmalade is looser than one made with pectin.