my first ever attempt at marmalade...

it needs another week in the fridge before it's ready to eat--just in time for my sister's arrival from the UK! it looks a bit like orange curd in this photo but in reality it is much more bitty--ie chunks of orange and rind--but that doesn't show here. i just tried a teaspoon full, it's a little too liquid still but the flavour is nice. phew.

i didn't boil the rind for as long as some recipes suggest as i like my marmalade with a tiny bitterness to it. i was astonished at how much sugar was necessary though. i followed a recipe that didn't any pectin--using the methodology that there should be more than enough natural pectin from the rind. we shall see...

so in summary, the ingredients were oranges, tangerines (their segments and rind, all in pieces), sugar and two sliced lemons.

i boiled the rinds separately for about one and a half hours. in another pan i stewed the orange segments and lemon slices with a LOT of sugar for about two hours. then i added the rinds to the second pan and left it to boil together for another hour. i then decanted the soon-to-be marmalade into the jars and then pasteurized/sterilized them for 30 minutes in very hot boiling water.

the house smelled so lovely--orangey and fresh. it was a messy task; i found splodges of sugary sticky orange all over the kitchen for days after. that is more a reflection of my messiness than the actual recipe itself though!