Homemade Orange Marmalade

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Sunshine In A Jar Homemade Orange Marmalade Recipe

I want to show you how to make orange marmalade and catch sunshine in a jar!! It’s not difficult, and your kitchen will smell amazing!

I’m so glad canning, freezing, and preserving have made a comeback. It may be one of the few benefits of the pandemic. We learned we could do exceedingly more than we thought we could.

Orange marmalade brings back sweet memories of childhood. My daddy loved orange marmalade. As a kid, I didn’t get it. I preferred grape. Sweet and simple, less complex. It must have been my immature palette.

Now that I’m grown, it’s a whole new game. Whenever we go out for breakfast, I dig through the basket of little jam packets, hoping for orange marmalade! In the rare event when I find one (and it’s usually only in the fancier places that we visit every blue moon or so), I call dibs on it and hide it until our order arrives.

Then, I slather it thick on an English muffin and take a big bite! My mouth does a little happy dance, and I lick my fingers to ensure I get every last bit!

Take The Plunge And Make This Delightful Old-Fashioned Marmalade

There’s an unwritten rule somewhere that says we should never try a new recipe when we have company. I should probably stick to the same rule when blogging. Play it safe; stick with the tried and true, right?

As in, don’t use your first attempt as a blog post. Ha! I recklessly began my first-ever batch of marmalade one afternoon at about 4:00, snapping pictures as I went along. Here we go!

There’s something deeply soul-satisfying about any canning and a huge sense of accomplishment! In today’s world, we rarely have a chance to relish a visual of “the fruits of our labors.” (Every pun intended!) It’s fun to line up the jars and count them.

At our house, when we make jelly, jam, or marmalade, as in this instance, we call them all a “jam session.” I want you to have as much fun making, eating, and giving away these coveted canned goods!

Please read through the instructions before you begin, and be ready to follow them. They are simple but critical to success. Getting all your canning supplies together is important, too, to avoid a mad rush to the store. Once you have started a batch, it’s almost impossible to stop.

Everything you’ll need is readily available at grocery stores, hardware stores, online, and even Walmart. The things you’ll need are inexpensive and last a long time. And believe me, you’ll find lots of uses for jars, jar lifters, and canning funnels beyond making jam!

Those are my supplies, and that’s my lovely canning towel. Probably a graduation gift from long ago. I keep it stashed in a handy drawer on my island where we conduct our jam sessions!

Begin With Beautiful Navel Oranges And Plump Fresh Lemons

Navel oranges are winter oranges, so they are at their peak close to the holidays! It’s the perfect time to make some marmalade for gift-giving! Marmalade is less common than jam or jelly, so people really get excited when they get a jar of it!

Navel oranges are also amazing in fresh cranberry and orange relish, so be sure to tuck this recipe away for later, too.

Important note. Begin by using a vegetable peeler to remove the outer layer of the peel. Use only the colored part of the peel. Don’t include any white “pith” between the fruit and the peel.

Then do the same thing with the lemons.

Use a chopper, knife, or food processor to reduce the peel to a confetti-like size and put it in a saucepan with water and baking soda. Combine the peels, water, and baking soda in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer while you cut the fruit into bite-size pieces.

Add the cut-up fruit with any juice to the peels. Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. I used a potato masher to break up the fruit as it cooked.

Now measure exactly 4 cups of prepared fruit into another six or 8-quart saucepan and stir the pectin into it. Add the butter to reduce foaming.

Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly, then stir in all the sugar at once.

THE MARMALADE WILL BE VERY HOT! I used a LONG wooden spoon to stir it. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

Now ladle the hot orange marmalade into the jars you have ready using a canning funnel. Wipe the rim and the threads with a clean damp cloth.

Cover each jar with a two-piece lid. Screw the bands in place by hand tightly. Place the jars on an elevated rack in the canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water, if necessary.) Lower the rack into the canner.

Cover and bring the water to a gentle boil and process for ten minutes. Use a canning jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner and place them upright on a thick towel or a rack to cool completely.

Do not touch the jars until they are completely cool. After the jars cool, check the seals by pressing the center of the lid with your finger. (If tops spring back, lids are not sealed, refrigerate the orange marmalade and use it within three or four weeks.)

Orange Marmalade

Yield: 7 half-pint jars

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Beautiful and sunny,  sweet and tangy marmalade with bits of citrus peel. Great on English muffins or toast! Bright and fresh. 

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Ingredients

• Four average-size oranges
• Two average-size lemons
• 2 1/2 cups of water
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp butter
• One 1.75-ounce box of powdered pectin such as SURE JELL
• 5 1/2 cups granulated sugar, measured and set aside

Instructions

1. Before you begin, fill a boiling-water canner half full with water and bring it to a simmer. If you have hard water, add 2 Tbsp of vinegar to prevent hard water deposits from forming on the jars.
   2. Wash the jars, flats, and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Dry the jars or let them air dry.
   3. Pour boiling water over flat lids in a heat-proof vessel. Let the flats stand in hot water until ready to use.
   4. Remove only the colored part of the peel from oranges and lemons using a vegetable peeler. Do NOT use the white "pith" between the peel and the fruit!
   5. Cut the peel into thin slivers. I did this step in my food processor, pulsing and stopping until the pieces looked like confetti.
   6. Combine the peels, water, and baking soda in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil.
   7. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   8. Cut the oranges and lemons into bite-size pieces.
   9. Add the cut-up fruit with any juice to the peels. Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
   10. I used a masher to break up the fruit as it cooked.
   11. Measure exactly 4 cups of prepared fruit into another six or 8-quart saucepan.
   12. Stir the pectin into the prepared fruit.
   13. Add butter to the fruit to reduce foaming.
   14. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
   15. Stir in all the sugar at once.
   16. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. THE MARMALADE WILL BE VERY HOT! I used a LONG wooden spoon to stir it.
   17. Remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.
   18. Ladle the hot marmalade into the prepared jars immediately, filling to within 1/4 inch of the tops.
   19. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth and check for nicks.
   20. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw the bands in place by hand tightly.
   21. Place the jars on an elevated rack in the canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water, if necessary.) Lower rack into canner.
   22. Cover; bring the water to a gentle boil and process for ten minutes. Use a canning jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner and place them upright on a thick towel or a rack to cool completely.
   23. Do not touch the jars until they are completely cool.
   24. After the jars cool, check the seals by pressing the center of the lid with your finger. (If tops spring back, lids are not sealed, refrigerate the marmalade and use it within three or four weeks.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 56 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 87Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 7mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 0g

I hope you’ll try this recipe; it is so amazing! If you get tired of using it on toast or English muffins, it makes a great glaze for pork, chicken, or salmon! Here are some more of our favorite things to can! Strawberry-rhubarb jam, peach jam, and peony jelly. What’s your favorite jam or jelly? Watch for more recipes!

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