Oranges - Orange Marmalade

Marmalade = Messy! Or at least that's how I made it last night! Rule #1 I've discovered is don't leave your oranges and sugar boiling while you start watching a tv show in the other room, it WILL boil over! Oops! But I did enjoy making it anyway. So I used 3 medium sized oranges and one lemon. I grated all the peel off (leaving the white on the fruit) and had the peels, 1/8 tsp. baking soda, and 1 1/2 cups water boil together in a covered pot for 20 minutes. (I've discovered you really do want a medium to large size pot on this, especially if you do as I do and leave the room while things are boiling... Ahem) While it's boiling you scrape all the white stuff off the outside of the fruit(I found it helped to section the fruit first). Then remove all the outer pieces so you just have the inner fruit (one book I looked at called it "membrane" which is a word that makes me think of brains for some reason - I prefer to call it the clear stuff that holds the fruit together and doesn't boil down... So I found it easiest to cut along the top part of each orange section & lemon section and pull out the insides, you will want to do this over a bowl since you want to use all the juices you can! If you have four oranges it's even better by the way.. I just happened to have 3. So after your peels have boiled for 20 minutes, add the juices & inner fruit and boil covered for another ten. Then add your 5 cups of sugar and bring to a boil (while stirring). As soon as you have a full boil (but don't let it boil over!) add your package of pectin and bring back to a full boil, stirring, for one full minute. Then put in your jars and immediately water bath can for 15 minutes. According to the directions I read, it will take two weeks for your marmalade to set so be sure to date all your jars (I always label everything I can!) and wait two weeks to enjoy!

I love the colors of orange marmalade in a jar!