I was introduced to meyer lemon marmalade last year by my friend Jennifer and fell in love. It's tart, but not too tart; sweet, but not too sweet. A little bit tangy and really gives you a burst of sunshine on a winter's morning. This year, I begged to be shown how to make this yummy goodness.
While I have done some pickling and a little canning in the past, I am
not an expert and have never tried my hand at jams. Come into the
kitchen with us and I'll share a little of what I learned.
Jennifer's recipe was in her head, but I found this one that seems quite similar.
Pantry items: 2-1/2 lbs. meyer lemons, 6 cups of sugar, 4 cups of water.
For canning materials and how-to, check the link above as well as a good canning book. My current favorite is Put 'em Up and Jennifer swears by the Ball Blue Book.
Several recipes I looked at called for thinly slicing your lemons, but I cut my lemons into little triangles - I got 16 per lemon (or 8 per half of lemon). I like the result of the chunks of lemon you get instead of little slices.
Here it is almost ready - can you see how it turned a lovely, dark amber color? I kept sneaking little tastes - so yummy!
Sterilized and filled jars in the water bath.
Waiting and chatting. We did a lot of this while making the marmalade, which is why it is more fun to can with a friend. Jennifer is one of those women who works full time and has two kids, but still manages to do so many cool, creative things. The whole process took about 2-1/2 hours, so we talked about everything under the sun.
Finished jars waiting to cool and be eaten. I like mine best on good toast, smeared with cream cheese and then a big topping of the marmalade on top. It's also yummy as a PB&J.
Meyer lemons are only in season for a little longer, so even if you don't have time to make your own marmalade, you should get a few to try. They have such an interesting citrus taste.
Can't wait until next year to make it again!
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