My first attempt at making marmalade

[kestrell]

Disgusted with the fact that the only places I can find marmalade made without corn syrup as the first ingredient is either at Harvest Coop or through Amazon, and inspired by LJ user tinybuffalo's holiday present of homemade marmalade, I decided to try making marmalade in my new slow cooker. It is actually kind of a trainer slow cooker, as it is sized for cooking for one or two people and it only has three heat settings: keep warm, low, and high, with no frilly extra features (which I consider a plus).

I used some of the surplus fruit I receive from Boston Organics (which I totally love), mostly blood oranges and a Myers lemon for variety. According to the recipe I found on Instructables, I didn't need to add pectin or water, although I put a little bit of orange juice in the bottom before putting the fruit in, because I was concerned about the possibility of scorching. The ratio of fruit to sugar was approximately 2 cups fruit, keeping the peel and sliced very thin, to 1 3/4 cups sugar.

I followed the directions and cooked it on low for about five hours yesterday, but it was still very soupy, so I stowed it in the fridge overnight and then cooked it with the lid off for about two more hours today. There was still a bit of liquid, which I poured off, but it ended up being the consistency of conserves
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_preserves

that is, like stewed fruit. However, it tastes *great!* with the perfect blend of the slightly bitter orange and yet sweet, but not tooth-achingly sweet.

So I decided to keep it, and I stored it in a canning jar I had (what do they call those canning jars with the hinged metal lids?). Anyway, I consider this a happy accident sort of success.

My theory is that my little slow cooker just couldn't create enough heat to really reduce the fruit, as the contents never got to the point where they bubbled or even burbled. I expect if I added pectin next time it would make marmalade just fine.

Special thanks to S. who kept telling me that I should get a slow cooker, but I thought they would be too large and too complicated to use without eyeballs.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Mmmmm. That sounds delicious — just the thing for oatmeal on a March day with ice pellets. If you're a fan, I bet some very thinly sliced ginger (use a potato peeler?) would add that certain zest.

In my stovetop experience I must start a rolling boil before I can turn it down to a simmer. Maybe next time start with high and then crank it back down once there's some activity?

Do the canning jars you used have a wire hinge on one side and a wire clasp on the opposite side? They are called, boringly, "canning jars with hinged lids."

[kestrell]

The additional two+ hours I cooked the mixture yesterday *was* on the high setting, and I also had the lid off, which should have helped with reduction. I bought the slow cooker for twenty dollars, so I wasn't expecting the best quality from the thing. I'm eating the fruit right now, on toast, and I'm still pleased with the flavor.

My foodie housemate refers to the metal hinges with the metal clasp as "Grolsch bottle hinges," which I like even better.

[carenejeans]

Ooooh, marmalade. I've been making a lot of it lately, because I have time and also an orange, a lemon, and a lime tree (I also have a grapefruit tree, but it has only one grapefruit on it).

Lime marmalade is fabulous, though every time I take a bite I get a craving for tequila. Heh. Lemon is also good, though very tart. My favorite so far is a mix of clementines (bought before my oranges were ripe) with a few lemons and limes.

I think you're right that your slow cooker doesn't get hot enough. Marmalade is basically a jelly, so you're not looking for reduction so much as reaching the "jelly point," which requires heat. But a bit of pectin should help. And, as you know, even soft marmalade is great. Pancakes! Waffles! 8-)

[kestrell]

Thank you for the suggestions and the encouragement--I've added your comments to my recipe notes. I *love* the scent of like, and one of my recent favorite teas is hibiscus flowers with a slice of lime. One of the few Lush products which I find irresistible is the lime scrub, which leaves me feeling like a large margarita. Lime definitely makes me feel like I am in some tropical location. And oh, my marmalade includes some clementines also. Boston Organics also got me hooked on honey tangerines, which are extra sweet and juicy. Okay, time for a fruit break...