We went camping last week and I came home to a bowl of oranges that were on the edge of being tossed. Well, it's not in my nature to waste anything. I knew a little stove top loving would preserve the poor mandarin oranges. All I would need is sugar and a lemon. Check and check.
This recipe yields 20 ounces.
5 Mandarin oranges (or whatever kind of orange you have on hand)
1 Lemon's grated zest and juice, remove the seeds
2 cups of water
3 cups of sugar (you can add another 1/4 cup if you'd like it sweeter)
Use a mandolin to slice your oranges and then cut up any pieces that are larger than bite size. Combine the water, oranges, lemon zest, and juice. Then bring the fruit to a boil and reduce it back down to a simmer for about 30 minutes. The fruit should be soft. Bring the fruit back up to a full boil and then add the sugar. Keep stirring and boiling for 15 minutes. The marmalade should darken a bit.
To test that it's the right consistency, spoon a small amount of hot marmalade onto a plate and chill it in the refrigerator. If it is too runny, continue cooking. If it's too hard, add water.
This preserve came out beautifully and really delicious. It's sweet and a little bit bitter. Add it to a bagel with cream cheese or to your tea instead of honey.
Many people like to jar what they've made but I only make enough for a couple of my Tupperware containers and then I store them in the refrigerator. If you are interested in jarring or canning, check out this site for tips.
Enjoy!
