Three Chimneys Traditional Marmalade
Makes about 6kg
4lb (approx 2kg) Seville oranges
4 lemons
8 pints (approx 4 litres) water
8lb (approx 4kg) granulated sugar
Method
Put the whole fruit in a basin of very lukewarm water and give them a good wash and a gentle scrub.
Put the washed fruit, whole, into a large saucepan or preserving pan. Add the water and put the lid on. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 1.5 hours. You should be able to easily pierce the skins of the fruit with a skewer when they are ready.
Remove the fruit from the water and place on a large dish to cool down a little. With a sharp knife, cut the cooked fruit into waruters and scrape out the pulp and pips. Add the pips, the pulp and any obvious residual juice into the pan with the water that was used to boil the fruit.
Boil the pips and pulp for a full 10 minutes and then strain. Retain the juice, but discard the strained pulp and pips.
Meanwhile, put the sugar in a large container, roasting tin or bowl and put it into a low oven to warm through. This will make it easier for the sugar to dissolve.
Put your clean jam jars into the low oven to warm through ready for potting the marmalade.
Chop or slice the orange and lemon peel to your favourite size and shape. Put the chopped peel into the reserved water. Bring to the boil. Add the warm sugar. Stir over a gentle heat until you are sure that all the sugar is dissolved.
Bring this mixture to the boil and continue to boil rapidly without stirring for around 30 minutes. You are aiming to reach setting point (see below).
Leave the marmalade in the hot pan for a short time until it shows that it is beginning to set properly. The peel will be showing signs of becoming "suspended" in the mixture.
Carefully ladle the hot marmalade into the warm, clean jam jars, and seal.
Setting point
Put a small spoonful of cooked marmalade onto a very cold saucer. (Keep a few at the ready in the fridge or freezer.) Allow it to cool a little, then push it with your finger, or tilt the dish to one side. If the marmalade wrinkles up, it is ready.
Taken from The Three Chimneys by Shirley Spear (2002), and reproduced by kind permission of Birlinn Ltd.
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