I needed an easy orange marmalade recipe. My son has been on a major Paddington kick lately. If you aren’t familiar with Paddington, he is a small bear that ends up in London, and he is hopelessly hooked on orange marmalade. When I watch this movie I can’t help but crave marmalade. When I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it out!
What I Loved
I have purchased a jar or two of marmalade from the grocery store a time or two. What I don’t like about those jars, is the fact that you get big chunks of orange peel in the marmalade. However, when I made this easy orange marmalade recipe at home, I could control the size of the zest going in. I wanted a finely grated zest that would distribute evenly and I was tickled to get that result.
Original Recipe Marmalade Recipe From 1850
Take two lemons, and a dozen oranges; grate the yellow part of all the oranges but five, and set it aside. Make a clear syrup of an equal weight of sugar. Clear the oranges of rind and seeds, and put them with the grated rinds into the syrup, and boil about twenty minutes, till it is a transparent mass.
Updated Method
- 2 pounds oranges
- 1 lemon juiced
- 6 cups water
- 3 pounds sugar
Take the zest from half of the oranges Juice the oranges and the lemon. Combine all ingredients, including the orange pulp, in a pot. Boil until the temperature of the syrup hits 222 degrees Fahrenheit. That is the magic temperature for marmalade. If you don’t hit 222 the marmalade won’t gel up when it cools.
Once the proper temperature is reached, remove from heat and set to the side. The mixture needs to cool slightly before placing in jars or the zest will rise to the top. Once it has slightly cooled, place liquid carefully into mason jars. Put the lids and rings on the jar. The jars will seal as the marmalade cools.
It is incredibly important to make sure all lids, jars, and rings have been boiled and sterilized before putting the liquid inside. Otherwise you risk some funky monkey surprises down the road.
What I Learned
If you aren’t using pectin when making a jam, then you absolutely must boil the sugar mixture long enough for the sugar to thicken things up. Most fruits have varying levels and degrees of pectin in them. From searching online, I found the magic temperature is 222 degrees. I used a thermometer and measured the temperature frequently until I hit 222. The mixture thickened right up as it cooled.
This was the first time I ever canned anything. I really didn’t want to mess up this easy orange marmalade recipe. Gratefully my mom helped and brought some experience to the table. I was grateful for this. One thing I learned was the importance of keeping everything clean, boiled, and sterilized before sealing the marmalade in the jar. This will prevent any moldy or spoiled surprises when you open the jars.
Original Easy Orange Marmalade Recipe Reference
Miss Beecher’s Domestic Receipt Book. 1850