Meyer Lemon Marmalade
You know I am doing good when...I start experimenting in the kitchen!! I had some energy monday evening and decided to capitalize. Not to mention, the lemons I picked the day before Easter (with high intentions of using them right away) needed to be used quick! I have never made marmalade before, the only kind I have ever eaten is orange and it was a long time ago and didn't care for it much. However, I tried some Meyer Lemon Marmalade recently and I was in love! A wonderful use for our plethora. (We have done so many things with our lemons that I haven't even documented-lemon curd, saved lemon zest and juice, lemonade.)
A quick search of recipes will tell you many ways to make this marmalade.
1. Cube lemons and use all of the parts
2. Cut off peel and slice, segment the lemons and use the flesh
3. Cut in half, save seeds, juice, and slice peel
4. Juice lemons, scrape out pith and seeds, slice peel
I decided to go for the last option. This doesn't even include using water or no water or the options for the peel. You could let the peel sit in water for 24 hours or you could blanch. The recipe I used said to blanch 3 times, I decided to do it twice.
A little picture tutorial, recipe below.
Juice lemons, reserving all of the liquid.
Scrape out pulp and seeds. No need to save it.
Slice peel 1/8" thick.
Put peel in water and bring to boil for one minute. Drain, rinse, and repeat. After the last blanch, do not rinse the peels. I chose to blanch only twice (it was late!! Don't start making marmalade at 7:30 pm!). I also did a taste test. After the first blanch, the rind was still very strong and bitter. The second time it was palatable and I didn't want to blanch all of the flavor out of the peel!
After the last blanch, return the peel to the pot, add lemon juice, sugar and water (if using). Bring to boil and turn heat down to let simmer until thickened, about 40-50 minutes. The recipe I used did not call for water, but the flavor was a little too intense for me so I decided to add some water. I taste tested to make sure I liked it before I went through all the work of canning it.
I believe I tripled the recipe and I ended up canning 7 pint jars and 7 half pints. I tried some this morning and it is delicious!! I am 95% sure I started with 36 lemons, but I can't even remember! Ugh. There were a number of interruptions...the Men's epic NCAA championship basketball game was on, I read a night time story to Hannah, and I put the other's to bed....the list could go on.
Lindsay's Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Recipe heavily modified from Food and Wine
36 meyer lemons
10 cups sugar
1 cup water
1. Wash lemons well and halve. Juice them, reserving the juice.
2. Scrape pulp and seeds from the peel. Slice the peel to 1/8" thick pieces.
3. In a large pot, cover the strips with water and bring to boil. Let boil for 1 minutes. Drain and rinse the peels. Blanch once more, but do not rinse the peels.
4. Return the peels to the pot. Add juice, sugar and water. Bring to boil and simmer over medium heat until thickened. About 40-50 minutes.
5. Spoon the marmalade into hot canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Close with lids and rings. Boil the jars for 15 minutes covered in water. Let the jars rest overnight and up to 2 days.
The marmalade can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.
I pulled out some of the marmalade and boiled it separately with fresh ginger. I have not tried that one yet, but they are other variations that also sound delicious.
There are still more lemons on my tree if you want to try this and you live close. If you do not, it is worth buying some meyer lemons and checking marmalade making off your bucket list. Not kidding!
Happy Wednesday!
Love the photo shoot at the end. You go girl!
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