Ingredients
2.2 lb/1 kg Seville oranges
1/4 cup/60 ml fresh lemon juice
5.28 pints/2.5 L filtered water, preferably
2.2 lb/1 kg sugar
2.2 lb/1 kg dark brown sugar
Instructions
- Remove any stems from the oranges and wash the oranges well under running tap water to remove any dirt.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a large deep non-reactive stainless steel saucepan. Cut the oranges in half and squeeze the juice out over the sieve. Do not discard the pulp and the seeds left behind in the sieve.
- Scrape out any extra pulp and pith from the orange peels and add to the pulp and seeds in the sieve. Chop or slice the peels to the thickness you prefer and add the peel to the juice in the saucepan.
- Cut a piece of cheese or muslin cloth large enough to hold the orange pulp and seeds that remain behind in the sieve. Scoop out the pulp and seeds and place them in the center of the cheesecloth and tie the ends together to form a tight bag. Place the bag in the saucepan with the juice. Stir in the lemon juice and water. Heat the saucepan over medium-high heat to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2 hours till the peel is cooked and is tender, and appears translucent, remove the saucepan from the heat, cover it with a lid, and leave overnight in the refrigerator.
- The next day, remove the saucepan from the refrigerator. Tightly squeeze out the liquid from the cheesecloth bag over the saucepan. Discard the bag with the pulp and seeds. Add the sugars.
- Get your canning jars ready (see Notes above). Place a few saucers in the freezer to chill.
- Return the saucepan to the stove and heat over medium-high heat till it comes to a rolling boil at 212F /100C stirring till the sugars dissolve and to prevent burning. A candy thermometer that can clip to the sides of the saucepan will be helpful to monitor the temperature. Once it starts to boil, the pectin might start to set. Take a teaspoonful of the hot marmalade and place it in the center of one of the chilled saucers, and freeze for about 1 minute. Remove the saucer and run your finger through the center of the marmalade, if it wrinkles on the surface and the clear train left behind holds, then your marmalade is ready. If not continue to heat and test after 15 minutes. The time taken for pectin to set can vary, sometimes even taking up to 2 hours, so be patient. Once the marmalade is ready, switch off the heat and ladle the jam into your jars. Seal tight and can the jars. The jam should be good for up to a year if left unsealed. Store sealed canned jars in a cool dark place and any opened jars in the refrigerator.
