Large heavy-based saucepan. 20 cm square piece of muslin. Approx 8 x 350 ml (12 oz) sterilised jam jars. Saucers in the freezer to check the setting point.
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Ingredients
1kiloorganic Seville oranges
2largeorganic unwaxed lemons
2 kilobrown sugar or golden granulated sugar
1tbspmolassesoptional
2literswater
Instructions
Prepare the fruit on a chopping board over the jam saucepan to avoid wasting any precious juice. Cut the whole fruit into even round slices and then cut each round in half - removing and reserving the pips as you go. Keep the strips even, so they cook equally. Make them smaller if you prefer.
Tie the pips in the muslin bag and bring to a boil, then simmer (lid off) for two hours or until the fruit is soft and the water has reduced by half. About ten minutes towards the end of simmering - remove the muslin bag and put it in a bowl in the fridge - so you can squeeze maximum juice back into the pan.
Immediately add the sugar to the pan and gently heat to dissolve - it may take about 10 minutes. When you are sure the sugar has dissolved, bring it back to a brisk boil until you reach the setting point. This should take no longer than about 20 minutes. Avoid stirring too much; only enough to prevent it from sticking. Test at 15 minutes - the quicker you get to the setting point the tastier the marmalade.
Leave to cool slightly before packing into hot sterilised jars. Allowing it to cool settles the peel and stops it from floating to the jar's top. See below for bottling and testing for the setting point.
Notes
I tend to sterilise jars in the dishwasher, but here's a good BBC link on all the ins and outs of sterilising Jam Jars.The setting point is 105 degrees centigrade. If you don't have a jam thermometer, it's easy to check on a cold saucer. According to Joan Wilson, it tends to stop frothing and starts making heavy, plopping noises! Make sure you put the saucer in the freezer when you start. To test for the setting point, put a small blob of marmalade on the plate; when it cools, it should wrinkle when you push it with your finger.