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Orange Marmalade (Shave one large orange one)
Shave one large orange, one fine grape fruit and one juicy lemon very thin, being careful that the cores and seeds do not get in but use all the peel and pulp; measure fruit and add to it three times. the amount of water; let it stand in an earthen bowl over night. Next morning boil ten minutes only; let stand another night. The second morning add pint for pint of sugar and boil until it jellies. (about two hours).
— Mrs. L. B. Banker
A classic three-fruit marmalade spread across three days, with the soaking and resting doing the work that pectin extraction and softening otherwise demand. The instructions are complete; only a few points need translating.
- "Shave... very thin"This means slicing the whole fruit — peel, pith and pulp together — into shreds as thin as you can manage. A sharp knife or a mandoline set fine gives the best result; a food processor tends to produce mush rather than shreds.
- Cores and seedsDiscard the fibrous central core. The recipe also keeps the seeds out; if you prefer, seeds and membranes are rich in pectin and can be tied in a scrap of muslin, dropped into the pan for the boiling stages and lifted out before the sugar goes in.
- Measuring by volume"Measure fruit and add three times the amount of water" means volume of prepared fruit to volume of water, not weight. One large orange, one grapefruit and one lemon give roughly 4 cups of shredded fruit, so about 12 cups of water.
- Pint for pintAfter the second rest, measure the whole fruit-and-liquid mixture and add an equal volume of granulated sugar; a pint of granulated sugar weighs roughly a pound. This is a high ratio by modern taste but it is what makes the set reliable and the keeping quality good.
- The earthen bowlAny non-reactive container works: glass, ceramic or stainless steel. Avoid bare aluminium or unlined copper, which react with citrus acid over a long soak.
- Boiling to the set"About two hours" is a guide, not a target. Marmalade sets at 220F (104C) at sea level; test with a thermometer, or chill a saucer in the freezer, drop a spoonful on, and push it with a finger — it should wrinkle. Watch closely past the 90-minute mark, as it thickens fast and scorches easily.
- Pan sizeUse a wide, heavy pan filled no more than halfway. Marmalade climbs alarmingly when it reaches a rolling boil, and the wide surface speeds evaporation.
- Yield and storageYield depends on the size of the fruit and how far the mixture is boiled down; this is a large batch. For shelf storage, use a current water-bath canning procedure with sterilised jars and a measured processing time; otherwise refrigerate and use within a month.
Marmalade in the English sense — a bitter-citrus preserve stiff enough to spread — became a breakfast staple in Britain over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the Seville orange version is the one most often written about. Three-fruit versions combining sweet orange, grapefruit and lemon are later; grapefruit became more widely available in the northern states after Florida growers began shipping in quantity in the closing decades of the nineteenth century, and its bitterness stands in for the Seville orange. The long overnight rests are not idleness but chemistry, softening the peel and drawing pectin out of the pith before any sugar is added, since sugar toughens citrus rind if introduced too early. Its appearance in a receipt book under a contributor's name is typical of the genre — many such compilations were fundraising projects for churches and civic groups.