So this is a new project of mine for 2011 that will hopefully have me posting a bit more regularly. My plan is to make a batch of preserves every month and post pictures of them; I’ll try to make them seasonal as best I can.
Mind you, there isn’t much produce that is in season when there’s a foot of snow in the garden. But citrus fruits are, hence, this marmalade:
I like this recipe because it’s made from mandarin oranges (which my family eats by the crate during the winter), and the only other ingredients are a lemon, sugar and water. All of the pectin comes from the mandarin skins. This is the first preserve I’ve made where I had to check the gel point, and to my surprise I got it right.
(protip: when using the spoon method to check the gel point, use a cold spoon, not the one you were stirring with.)
I also got to try out my new canning funnel. I think it’s my new best friend 
No more mess! This recipe is from The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving. As you can see, the marmalade came out a very nice shade of orange, very fresh looking. The flavor is not as sharp as regular Seville orange marmalade; it kind of reminds me of orange lollipops, actually. My mom, who loves marmalade, says it’s excellent.
