Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Meyer Lemon Marmalade
4 cups sliced Meyer lemons
6 cups water
7 1/2 cups sugar
6 cups water
7 1/2 cups sugar
Start by preparing your lemons. Slice each in
half, from end to end. Use a sharp knife to cut out the core. Run your fingers
along the missing core to remove all seeds. Save the cores and seeds in a
double-thick piece of cheese cloth. You will be cooking that satchel of core
and seeds with your marmalade to provide pectin which you need to firm up your
delicious brew. Take each lemon half and slice it into half rounds. The
thickness of your slices are a matter of taste. How big do you like your peels
to be in the marmalade? I like to keep my slices irregular so that I get all
sorts of peels in my marmalade. Take all your lemon slices, your satchel of
pits and cores, and put them in a glass or ceramic bowl. Add the water, cover
with parchment paper and put in the refrigerator overnight.
Next day, take out your yummy concoction and pour it into your jamming pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook on high heat until your sliced peels get soft, about 20 minutes. Take out the satchel and set it aside to cool. Before returning the mixture to a boil, you are going to want to squeeze out as much of the pectin as you can from the satchel. Then discard it to the compost. Now, add your sugar. When I made my second batch, I started with six cups of sugar and kept adding half cup portions until I reached the flavor I wanted, at 7 1/2 cups. The marmalade is sweet, but there is still plenty of lemony tang. I think the marmalade now sits at a perfect equilibrium, but I am guessing these are subjective matters. Once all the sugar is in, return the mixture to a boil and cook at high heat until you bring the marmalade to a temperature of 221 degrees, to insure a good set. This last part took me about 10 minutes.
While your marmalade is going through its final boil, prepare your half-pint jars to receive the golden gift. I used the oven this time, cooking my jars at 250 degrees for 10 minutes, and washing the lids with hot soapy water.
When the marmalade reaches 221 degrees, transfer it immediately into jars and seal. I got a bit more than 8 half-pint jars.
Next day, take out your yummy concoction and pour it into your jamming pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook on high heat until your sliced peels get soft, about 20 minutes. Take out the satchel and set it aside to cool. Before returning the mixture to a boil, you are going to want to squeeze out as much of the pectin as you can from the satchel. Then discard it to the compost. Now, add your sugar. When I made my second batch, I started with six cups of sugar and kept adding half cup portions until I reached the flavor I wanted, at 7 1/2 cups. The marmalade is sweet, but there is still plenty of lemony tang. I think the marmalade now sits at a perfect equilibrium, but I am guessing these are subjective matters. Once all the sugar is in, return the mixture to a boil and cook at high heat until you bring the marmalade to a temperature of 221 degrees, to insure a good set. This last part took me about 10 minutes.
While your marmalade is going through its final boil, prepare your half-pint jars to receive the golden gift. I used the oven this time, cooking my jars at 250 degrees for 10 minutes, and washing the lids with hot soapy water.
When the marmalade reaches 221 degrees, transfer it immediately into jars and seal. I got a bit more than 8 half-pint jars.
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