Yes, I am back to working with strawberries because they seem to be the only berry on sale lately! What is new is that this is my first marmalade. Not only that, I think I have only eaten marmalade once in my life and man, it was so tart I thought I would never make marmalade myself but curiosity got to me.
When I got a container of strawberries for only $2, for inspiration I turned to We Sure Can! How Jams and Pickles Are Reviving the Lure and Lore of Local Food by Sarah B. Hood, published by Arsenal Pulp Press. I saw this recipe for strawberry lemon marmalade and realized I had no idea you could mix flavours like that when you make marmalade! I thought it was always, well… orange?!
The recipe originally comes from the blog Doris and Jilly Cook. Be forewarned! It takes two days to make.
As usual, I made half the recipe but will write it up here in full. Scrub 4 medium lemons with soapy water to remove wax, pesticides… Slice them as thinly as possible, then chop them into pieces. Put them in a wide pot with a thick bottom. Cover lemons with water and bring to a boil.
I just have to say, the recipe does not mention removing seeds which I did just in case. It also did not say if I should “just cover” with water or generously cover. As a result, I think I added too much water.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let pan cool. Cover and let stand overnight.
The next day crush 4 cups of whole strawberries with a potato masher or back of a slotted spoon. Oh these strawberries were so tough! This killed my hands. You really do have to crush them though to release their pectin. Ouch!
Add the strawberries to the lemon mixture.
Add 3 3/4 cups of sugar to the strawberries and lemons. Bring to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down.
Now it does not say anything about removing the scum/foam but I just had to!
“… continue to boil until it reaches the setting point (watch out, because the lemons have lots of pectin, and the gel stage may arrive rather suddenly!)”
Huh? What will it look like? I need more information! And because I added a lot of water, this process of boiling down felt endless:
Strawberry Lemon Marmalade from Suzie Ridler on Vimeo.
Bloody hell, was I ever done! I really needed more information. It drives me crazy when people assume you know what you are doing.
Thankfully I guess that was the “setting point” because when it cooled it got very thick. I did my best to cut the lemons thinly but there were some big chunky pieces that are so super damn sour to eat!
As I said, I do not have a lot of experience with marmalade but Reg said that it was very similar in sourness and texture to the orange marmalade he has had in the past, just with different flavours. I did manage to eat it but man… so crazy sour!!! I think I am more of a jam woman.
Despite the end results, I felt that there could have been more helpful instruction in this recipe to help a novice like me out. I give this recipe three and a half out of five wooden spoons.
BTW, I still have not jarred anything officially yet. Working up my confidence. The extra marmalade was put in the deep freeze for my dad and his wife’s visit next week. Hope they like it!
Well looks are deceiving because it’s so bright and purty, you would never guess it would make you pucker. That first shot where you can see all the strawberry seeds and the jelliness on the jar looks awesome.
How nice you’ll have family come for a visit, I’m sure you’ve already got some big foodie plans for your dad and his wife. Enjoy!
Don’t be so nervous about jarring! To me, that’s the easiest part of the whole process- especially when the process takes two days. The marmalade looks amazing, though. Like Ava says, that first photo makes my mouth water. You do take magnificent photos.
Thank you! So glad you like the photos, it was challenging to take them and really capture the light as well as the details.
Ava, it will be so nice to have family visit, we sure need the distraction and support right now.
Cathy, I am almost there. I really need to focus and right now my brain is a mess. I’ll get there though!
I’ve never been a marmalade gal myself. My sweet tooth forbids it.
DELICIOUS! 😀
I love marmalade of any kind. I’ve never seen a strawberry marmalade. This is a must make – as you say, strawberries are cheap right now. Lovely!