Everyone loves the peak preserving season, whensummer fruit seems to ripen faster than you can pick it, and the early autumnharvest of beans, tomatoes and other vegetables means that another batch ofchutney is never far off the radar. But once those last fruits and vegetableshave all been used up with some final jams, jellies, pickles and preserves,many of us put away the maslin pan and store any empty glass jars for anotheryear, thinking that there really aren’t any opportunities for home preservesuntil the seasonal cycle begins again.
But in fact, nothing could be further from the truth, because January marks thestart of the marmalade season! Seville oranges are, of course, the most famoustype of orange used in marmalade production, so in today’s blog, we’ll take alook at what makes Seville orange marmalade so special. So, dig out thosemarmalade jars, because we’re confident that we can inspire you to makeyourself a batch of this delicious golden treat.
Why Seville Oranges?
If you’ve ever made marmalade with Seville oranges, you’ll know that their skinis incredibly thick and pithy, and that’s the real secret behind why theseoranges, in particular, make the best marmalade. The skins of Seville orangesare naturally very rich in pectin, which is needed for a good set in anypreserve. Often, we have to resort to increasing the pectin levels in ourpreserves by using jam sugar, adding pectin powder or adding a pectin-richfruit into our jam mix. None of that is necessary when making marmalade withSeville oranges, as they have all the pectin needed in that special skin.
In addition to the all-important pectin, Seville oranges are bursting withjuicy flavour and have a high sugar content; two more factors that go towardsproducing a sensational fruit for home preserving. Andalusia, the Spanishregion in which Seville oranges are grown, is famous for its high temperaturesand consistently good weather, making it ideal for growing all sorts of fruitand vegetable crops, especially citrus fruits.
Seville oranges are in season for just six short weeks, so it’s important toget those marmalade jars filled as soon as possible if you want to enjoy thetrue Seville marmalade flavour. Of course, you can make marmalade with otheroranges and even with lemon, limes or grapefruit, but for the authentic tasteof good old-fashioned marmalade, it has to be Seville oranges. Check out yourlocal greengrocers for the best chance of finding some of these amazing fruits.
Tips For Filling Those Marmalade Jars
We’ve covered some great marmalade recipes in the past, so we thought thatinstead of adding another recipe in this blog post, we’d offer up a few tips tohelp you produce the very best marmalade imaginable.
Our first tip is to make sure that you buy the very best Seville oranges thatyou can find. Try to find a good greengrocer, rather than shopping in asupermarket, as the produce is likely to be much fresher. If you can findorganic Seville oranges, so much the better, and you are likely to be able to reallytaste the difference!
Our next tip is to be confident with your shreds of peel - don’t try to shredit too fine because you’re worried that people won’t like larger shreds, andalways add the amount of shred stated in the recipe; don’t be tempted to skimpor to add too much. Remember that these shreds are contributing pectin to therecipe, so it’s important to add the right quantity to get a good set on yourmarmalade.
If you’ve made marmalade in the past and you found that the shreds were alittle tough in your finished jars of marmalade, then it’s likely that youdidn’t cook them for long enough, prior to the stage where you add sugar. For agreat taste and perfectly cooked orange shreds, try simmering the oranges for3-4 hours the day before you want to make your marmalade. This should ensurethat the peel is the right texture before you start the marmalade makingprocess in earnest.
Perhaps the most important tip we can offer is not to overcook your marmalade.It can be tempting to keep on boiling until the mixture really thickens up, butin fact, it’s more important to concentrate on the temperature rather than theconsistency of the marmalade whilst it’s in the pan. Once the marmalade hasreached 104°C, take it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly, beforepouring it into your clean, sterilised glass jars. During that short coolingperiod, the marmalade will continue to thicken up.
So...have we tempted you to try making some traditional marmalade this January,using those very special Seville oranges? If you do decide to make a batch ofSeville marmalade, do send us some photos of your marmalade jars, as we love tosee what you all make. Get in touch by Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
