Orange Marmalade The Old Fashioned Way

At
the exact time I was ladelling my homemade marmalade into sterilized jars I
heard Ready, Steady, Cook in the background. One of the guest chefs had
blueberries in her mystery bag and she decided to make blueberry jam in the
microwave in ten minutes. Okay then. She also made a passing comment that went
something like this; "in this day and age there is no other way you would ever
consider making jam other than in the microwave".

Funny how she happened
to say that at the very moment I had expended a lot of time and energy into
making jam (okay marmalade) the old fashioned way. Is somebody trying to tell me
something? Well I'm afraid Miss Bloom, I am making jam (marmalade) and I am
definitely not making it in the microwave. Incidentally, her blueberry jam
resembled more of a runny blueberry sauce. If you are not interested in making
marmalade from scratch, I mean it, from scratch, then it's best to save your
time and look no further. And I am guessing if you are that person, then perhaps
microwave jam would appeal to you.

If
you are still with me, then let's soldier on. This jam and marmalade making is a
real labour of love. Is it worth it? In my case I have beautiful oranges that I
can pick straight from the tree, so that is a big motivation for me. Long after
the last orange has fallen, or been eaten by hubby or been hacked into by
cockies; I will have my homemade marmalade for months. I always keep some for
Christmas, because I use it in my glaze for the baked ham. I know everyone in my
family just looooooves that ham and using my homemade marmalade makes me feel
that it's a touch more special.

Marmalade is a lot fussier than jam. I
must separate the segments of orange flesh without the pith, then I have to
remove the pith from the rind, then I have to slice the rind as finely as
possible. Then it's a two day wait before I can even cook it because it must be
left overnight. Make no mistake, it is fussy stuff. No bother. Just knuckle down
and do it. Knowing if the jelly set is right can be a tricky business too, but
you live and learn and then you know. So I conclude that it is time consuming,
it does take effort and it can be tricky.

In this fast world; time,
effort and risk are simply not convenient and not worth the trouble especially
with lovely local or exotic imported jams in fancy jars alluring you to "pick
me, pick me", on our overcrowded supermarket shelves. You may well be thinking
"am I nuts". Maybe I am. For you see this nutter yearns for a simple life and an
enjoyment of simple pleasures.

And
yet to me homemade jam or marmalade is far from simple. It is luxurious and
wonderful and when I sit down to enjoy it, I take my time and savour each and
every bite. And I look at it. Intently. I admire the rind cooked to perfection.
A nice "al dente" texture has been achieved. I'm thrilled. The colour is
amazing. I haven't overcooked it and it is a shiny, transparent glistening
orange colour. The olfactory senses kick in and the tangy, rich, deep soul of
the orange whack me in the nose. No bubbles, hurray, the judges will like that.
As for the setting; well that is the best part; it's perfect. And my very
unshowy marmalade sits displayed in a very ordinary straight sided jar. Plain
and simple. Just how I like it. All things considered I feel happy and I feel
clever. Funny isn't it, how some simple homemade marmalade can make me feel this
excited. Next time I push my trolley past the jam isle, I shall watch shoppers
deliberating over which variety to buy. And I will overtake them with a smile on
my face feeling very, very clever.




Sweet
Orange Marmalade
adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly

5
large (1kg) oranges
1 1/4 litres water
1 1/4 kg sugar
2 tablespoons
lemon juice
A couple of extra lemons

PS: This recipe in the Weekly
includes 2 teaspoons citric acid but I leave it out.

Cut oranges into
quarters. Using a sharp knife carefully cut the orange flesh away making sure to
leave all the pith behind. Cut the orange flesh into thin slices; place into a
clean bowl; reserve seeds.



Take
each quarter; with your sharp knife carefully and slowly cut into the pith up
against the rind as closely as possible and remove all the pith. If it doesn't
all come away then attempt to remove the remaining pith. A small sharp knife may
come in handy for this. Reserve half the pith; discard remaining pith.



The
orange rind should look like the picture below; nice fine quarters with no white
left on them.



Cut
the rind into very fine strips. Take your time. For me this step is quite
critical. Aesthetically, it is very unattractive to find huge chunky pieces of
rind but the most important reason is if the pieces are not even then they may
not be cooked all the way through ultimately affecting the keeping time of the
marmalade.



Place
the fine strips of rind together with the orange flesh and half the water.
Cover; stand overnight.



Take
out all the seeds you can get from an extra couple of lemons. Place these with
any seeds you may have taken out from the oranges. Add to the reserved orange
pith.



Tie
seeds and pith in a piece of muslin; place muslin bag into a separate bowl and
the remaining water. Cover; stand overnight. (The citric acid was added at this
stage in the AWW's recipe).



Next
day combine contents of both bowls in a large saucepan. Add lemon juice. Bring
to boil; simmer, covered for about 40 minutes or until rind is soft. Discard
muslin bag. Pour sugar carefully into the centre of the pot. Stir over heat
without boiling until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil; boil uncovered without
stirring, for about 15 minutes or until marmalade jells when tested. Allow to
sit in pot for about 10 minutes before placing into sterilized jars. You will
get better distribution of the fruit that way.



Pour
into jars carefully; seal immediately. (Unlike the recipe in
the AWW, which states to seal when cold. No way. Rubbish!)



Toast
and marmalade for tea. And I'm happee.



I
served my tea in a lovely "April Rose" fine bone china cup and saucer made in
England. It belonged to my father-in-law's mother so I couldn't tell you how old
it is. Didn't I tell you I was into "old fashion"? http://thrumykitchenwindow.blogspot.com/2009/06/orange-marmalade-old-fashioned-way.html