There is a community on facebook called "FoodInJars.com". I needed a public site where the results of the community challenge could/would be published - so bear with me.
I finished up the first marmalade I’ve made in about 30
years. Felt good and brought many memories with it. The house we purchased 43 years ago, when I
was 8 months pregnant with our son came with a “history” of giving jars of
tangerine marmalade, made from the already 40-50 year old tree in the backyard,
to all of the neighbors. Having never
made jam before, the wonderful 82-year old widow, who was selling the house
because she was getting married, gave me a canning lesson so that I “wouldn’t
let the neighbors down’. I still have
that marmalade recipe in her handwriting.
It took 3 days to make but boy was it yummy! Because the tree had not even one tangerine
this year……
I made a Satsuma orange, Meyer lemon, vanilla bean
concoction because that’s what I had on hand.
It’s quite tart with a wonderful complicated taste. Because I had no
cheesecloth, I put all the pulp and the seeds in my potato masher and buried
that in the kettle with the fruit (the mother of invention). I ran out of time
on day one and put the whole kettle in the fridge for 3 days – until this
morning when I brought everything to a boil and finished up the jamming
process.
I now use the non-water-bath method http://www.jeffersonsdaughters.com/2011/10/14/jam-and-jelly-without-a-water-bath/
when I make jam and since I don’t can anything else (beans, tomatoes, meat), I’ve
never worried about a batch going bad.
(Jars, lids are red hot having been in hot water and/or the oven.)
I’ve sent out a request via our neighborhood’s email system
that I would love some homegrown tangerines in exchange for a jar or two of
jam. Have had several responses. Am looking forward to making Mrs. Heller’s
tangerine marmalade once again.
