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Orange Marmalade with Honey
Rub the oranges with a soft cloth, peel them, throw the rinds into cold water, and boil until they are quite tender; then drain, and cut them into very thin strips about an inch long. Separate the pulp and juice from the inner skin and the pips, and put them into a preserving-pan with half a pound of the cut rinds and one pound of honey to every pint of pulp. Boil the marmalade gently, stirring it frequently, and when the proper consistency is attained pour it into jars; cover these closely, and store in a cool dry place. Time, about three-quarters of an hour to boil the marmalade. Probable cost or oranges, 5s. or 6s. per hundred; honey, 10d. per pound.
A sugar-free marmalade that relies on honey for both sweetness and preservation, which changes how it behaves in the pan. The proportions are given by volume of pulp rather than by weight, so read the whole method before you start peeling.
- The hinge: honey scorchesHoney browns and catches at a far lower temperature than sugar syrup, which is why the recipe insists on gentle boiling and frequent stirring. Use a wide, heavy pan, keep the heat moderate, and stir down into the corners rather than across the surface.
- "A pint of pulp"The pulp and juice are measured by volume in an Imperial pint (20 fl oz, about 2 1/2 US cups), then matched with 1 lb honey and 1/2 lb prepared rind. Squeeze the fruit over the measuring jug so nothing is lost.
- Which orangesAt 5s. or 6s. the hundred, and in a Victorian marmalade recipe, these are likely bitter Seville oranges, in season January and February, though the price alone does not settle the variety. Sweet oranges will work but give a blander, slacker preserve; if you use them, add the juice of a lemon or two for acidity and pectin.
- Keep the pipsThe pips and the inner skin the recipe discards carry much of the pectin. Tie them in muslin, boil them with the marmalade, and lift the bag out before potting. Honey brings no pectin of its own and sets less firmly than sugar, so the fruit has to supply it.
- Boiling the rindsSimmer the peel in plenty of water until a strip tears easily under a fingernail, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours; "quite tender" is not optional, as peel that is still firm at this stage will stay leathery in the finished jar.
- Judging "the proper consistency"Setting point is 220F (105C) on a sugar thermometer, or a spoonful that wrinkles when pushed with a finger after a minute on a cold saucer. The three-quarters of an hour is a guide; honey-set marmalades often need longer and are softer than a sugar version even when done.
- Jars"Cover these closely" means what a Victorian kitchen could manage. Use hot sterilised jars, fill to within a quarter inch of the rim, and either process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes or keep the jars in the refrigerator once opened.
Marmalade began as a solid quince paste — the name comes through French from the Portuguese marmelada, from marmelo, quince — and it was in Britain that the bitter Seville orange found its permanent home at the breakfast table during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Cassell's gives the price of oranges per hundred, which was ordinary market usage of the day. Honey as a sweetener makes a darker, softer, more strongly flavoured preserve than sugar does, and because honey lacks sugar's setting behaviour, the pectin in the pips and pith is doing all the work.