Satsuma Orange Marmalade

The other afternoon, I made marmalade from the sweetest and juiciest Satsuma oranges that I had picked from the trees in the Park on the Back Forty.  They were so easy to peel, slice and dice, and simmer with sugar. It filled my kitchen with such a wonderful aroma.

I made a batch of marmalade last week and used too much sugar, much too much.  I also cut the orange rinds into strips and simmered them in two cups of water for ten minutes.  This proved to be unnecessary.

In my second batch, I cooked/simmered the chopped up Satsuma oranges and julienned rinds in six cups of water.  The cut up rinds will come back in the finished marmalade; hence, I cut them accordingly.

Altogether now:

2 and 1/2 lbs peeled Satsuma oranges, sliced and diced
2 cups loosely packed orange peel, thinly sliced (julienned)
2 cinnamon sticks (2 and 1/2 in each)
2 and 1/2 hefty cups of sugar
6 cups of water
(In my book, 1 cup = 2 dl and 2 lbs ~ 2 kg)

Cook/simmer the oranges, peels, and cinnamon in six (6) cups of water.  When the concoction has reached a boil, remove foam. and let it simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 40 minutes, bring to a boil and add the sugar.  Bring the marmalade to a boil again and then let it simmer for at least one (1) hour, remembering to stir.  Note that this marmalade is made without commercial pectin.

For additional flavoring at the end of the simmering cycle, I added a generous teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.  For extra sizzle, I added 1/2 cup of Black Velvet whisky.

When is the marmalade ready?  That is a good question.  To test, spoon a little marmalade on a cold plate.  If it does not run all over the plate, it is ready.  Or dip a cold spoon into the simmering marmalade to see if it will stick to spoon as opposed to running off like water.  The marmalade will also change its consistency in the simmering pot: it will become a bit thicker.

I like to pour the marmalade, using the measuring cup, into clean jars and seal them with hot wax that has been melted in double pots--one pot filled with water with the pot with the wax immersed in the pot of water.  Bring the water to a boil to melt the wax.  Use extreme caution.  The wax will be hot.

The marmalade goes very well on a toasted muffin.  A jar of homemade makes a very nice gift when dressed up with a small cloth showing from under the lid, pretty ribbon, card or fancy label.

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