They are a cross between a regular lemon and an orange. They’re not quite as sour as regular lemons, and their peels are smooth and not as bitter. They make wonderful marmalade.
Homemade Marmalade: A Winter Ritual
Every winter I make several batches of marmalade from the citrus growing in our yard. This Meyer lemon marmalade recipe is the “master” recipe from which I base all sorts of variations (adding grapefruit, blood oranges, etc.) You can spice up this basic recipe by adding herbs or spices in the first stage of cooking, such as cinnamon, cardamom, rosemary, or vanilla. (Remove any whole spices or herbs before you add the sugar.) I’ve tried to detail the recipe as well I could, making it easier for first time marmalade makers to be successful. Jam making is tricky; it really helps to do it a bunch of times; the more experience you have with it, the better jams you’ll make. If you are just starting out with jam making, use a candy thermometer! Once you have enough jam making experience, you can more easily judge when the jam is ready without one, but until then, use one.
Tips for Marmalade Success
Make sure you are using Meyer lemons: I know this one sounds obvious, but you really cannot swap out Meyer lemons with regular lemons for this recipe. Meyer lemons are less tart and have peels that are less bitter than regular lemons. If you use regular lemons for this recipe, your result may be too sour and bitter. Cook until the peels are very soft in the first stage of cooking: Once you add sugar to the pot, the peels will firm up substantially, so you want to make sure the peels are very soft in the first stage of cooking, before you add the sugar. Know your altitude: These instructions are for cooking at sea-level. When you are at altitude, liquid boils at a lower temperature than 212°F. Look up what the boiling point of water is at your altitude (for example, at 3000 ft, the boiling point of water is 206°F), and aim for a jelly setting temperature of 6 to 8°F higher than that temperature. Otherwise, you may overcook your marmalade. Don’t let the marmalade turn brown: If the marmalade is turning brown while you are cooking it, you are likely overcooking it and the sugars are beginning to caramelize. Remove it from the heat immediately if this happens and then next time you make marmalade, aim for a lower setting temperature. Rely more on the wrinkle test than on your thermometer: I use a thermometer just to help me figure out when to start making a wrinkle tests. The wrinkling of a little jelly on a chilled plate is the best indication that the jelly has reached its setting point.
The proportion of lemon segments to water to sugar is 1:1:1. So if you don’t have a kitchen scale and don’t weigh your lemons to begin with, as you proceed through this recipe keep in mind these proportions. Your 2 1/2 lbs of lemons should yield 6 cups of chopped lemon. 6 cups of chopped lemon will be cooked first with 6 cups of water, and then later 6 cups of sugar are added. You can also do this recipe with 4 cups of chopped lemons, 4 cups of water, and 4 cups of sugar. Do not double the recipe. Do not reduce the sugar (if you want a reduced sugar recipe, use a different recipe); the sugar is needed for the jelly to set. As you cut the lemons into segments, if you can, pull off any exposed membranes. Just get the ones that are easy to get to, ignore the rest. When you’ve cut down to the final segment, cut away the pithy core. Remove all seeds from the segments. Reserve the seeds and any removed membrane or pith. You will need them to make pectin. Cut each lemon segment crosswise into even pieces to make little triangles of lemon peel and pulp. Place the pectin bag in the pot with the fruit pulp and secure to the pot handle. Bring to a strong boil on high heat. Let boil, uncovered, for about 25-35 minutes, until the peels are soft and cooked through. (If too much of the water evaporates from the boil and the peels start sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a little more water back in.) Test one of the lemon peel pieces by eating it. It should be very soft. If it is still chewy, keep cooking until soft. Remove from heat. After the marmalade first comes to a boil, it will foam up considerably. This is why you need need to use a large pot, and make sure you pay attention and keep your eyes on the whole process. Stir with a wooden spoon to bring the foam back down. If it gets too high, lower the temperature to keep it from overflowing the pot. Secure a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, or check the jelly temperature with an instant read thermometer. The marmalade may take anywhere from 20 to 35 minutes or so to be ready to pour out. After about 15 minutes, start checking the temperature frequently. For the wrinkle test, place a small plate into the freezer. As the jelly temperature reaches 217°F, start testing it by placing a small amount of the hot jelly on the chilled plate. If the jelly spreads out and thins immediately, it isn’t ready. If it holds its shape a bit, like an egg yolk, that’s a good sign. Push up against it with your finger tip. If the jelly sample wrinkles at all, it is time to take the jelly off the heat and pour it out into jars. When you use a candy thermometer or an instantread thermometer to test the temperature of your mixture, make sure the probe is NOT touching the bottom of the pan. Make sure that the indentation on the probe (with modern candy thermometers this is about an inch and a half from the bottom of the probe) is actually surrounded by the mixture. This may mean that you have to tilt the pan to one side, to cover the probe sufficiently to get a good reading. This not only sterilizes the jars, but it helps to keep them from cracking from the temperature differential when you add the hot marmalade. Wash the lids in hot, soapy water. Current recommendations from the National Center for Home Food Preservation are to process jars of marmalade in a water bath canner for unrefrigerated storage. However, many home canners choose to skip this step for marmalade, as it is high in sugar and acid. The route you choose is up to you. Even if the jelly is not firm as it goes into the jar (it shouldn’t be), it should firm up as it cools.
