My Perennial Question

[Pescador]

It's that time of year again!!
Seville oranges are due to arrive on the market any day.
Anyone seen any yet?

I'm starting "brewing" this evening with some ones from the freezer and hopefully there'll be fresh ones on the market tomorrow.

[Pescador]

[pumkinlover]

Thanks for the reminder we will check Chesterfield market next week 

[ACE]

Now there's an idea. What are we going to do with all these lemons and limes? she asked, now you are not drinking your gin for  while. Usually we would freeze them in segments to pop straight into drinks, but marmalade! Yes.

[pumkinlover]

Now there's an idea. What are we going to do with all these lemons and limes? she asked, now you are not drinking your gin for  while. Usually we would freeze them in segments to pop straight into drinks, but marmalade! Yes.

Sounds like you had a good stock  pile!

[Digeroo]

I have been put of Seville oranges since I found out they pick the oranges from the trees lining the city streets and sell them in the UK.  Apparently no one in spain wants them. 

Yet Seville is a very heavily polluted city.

[Pescador]

Seville oranges are grown throughout Andalusia and the rest of Southern Spain, many in traditional rural orange groves.

After all, not all Chelsea buns are baked in Chelsea, and not all plums grown by Victoria!!

So far today I've made 30 jars. Tomorrow I'll start on the Ginger/Whiskey/others. Will have to go back to work on Monday for a rest!

[Digeroo]

I am sure that Seville oranges are grown in all sorts of places, but they showed them on TV being harvested from the city streets.  I have not eaten marmalade since.

May be the buns are not baked in Chelsea but those which are are not put up someone exhaust pipe.  After all you do not even peel the oranges.   

[Duke Ellington]

Pescador please post your recipes for your Marmalade

[Jayb]

So far today I've made 30 jars. Tomorrow I'll start on the Ginger/Whiskey/others. Will have to go back to work on Monday for a rest!

Wow, busy busy

[Pescador]

Duke, here you go.

Seville Orange Marmalade.   Prod no. 72          
1.1kg Seville Oranges
2.2l water
1.8kg sugar
1 lemon (juice only)


Juice oranges. Add juice and water to Maslin pan.
Slice oranges as required. Add to pan and simmer for 1 hour
Add sugar and boil to set point.
Cool for 15 mins and bottle

[peanuts]

My parents always did their marmalade cutting fruit by hand, the traditional way. It made a beautifully flavoured marmalade, but with lots of juice and fewer 'lumps'.  I have always made it using the food processor, and pressure cooker, before cooking it as normal in a big preserving pan.  I blitz the   fruit, minus pips of course, in the food processor, then cook the fruit with half the water in the pressure cooker, 10lbs pressure, for 10 minutes.  After that I do as normal in the big pan with the rest of  the water and the sugar.  I can get 3lbs of fruit in the pressure cooker.  For variation, I might simmer it very gently for a couple of hours  and it will go darker.  Or add whisky at the end. Or  black treacle at the end,for a darker marmalade.  I use the same recipe for lemon marmalade, or grapefruit marmalade.  Did my first batch yesterday.  I'm lucky enough to be able to get organic Seville oranges.

[ACE]

Sounds like you had a good stock  pile!

Well you know what these silly supermarkets are like bag of  6 limes or lemons for a quid. Only wanted  a couple but was taken in by the offer. Usually they get frozen in segments and used for ice cubes, but we still had some of those left over from last time. They have all been chucked in the mix, now we have a marmalade glut. Pineapple jam was also made as the pineapples were on clearance after xmas, the supermarket put them in the cheap bin because the top knots were a bit brown. Melon and ginger will be next as they are also clearing out the xmas glut. My breakfast fruit smoothies are also very exotic at the moment.

[Pescador]

Another 10 jars of Ginger and 10 of Whisky done. 3 day rest now!

[antipodes]

I made some last year and there is one jar left so I guess it's time to make some more. Whisky, now there's an idea!
I don't always use bitter oranges but last time I did and it was very nice. I do the painstaking way, squeezing at the juice, cutting out all the membrane and pips into cloth then slicing the peel by hand. Time consuming but the result is a clear jelly and tender slices of peel. I did cheat last time and use a bit of jam sugar but I don't regret it, it was a lovely set.

[pumkinlover]

Pescador where are you getting Seville oranges from? We have just walked down to Chesterfield market and tried the market stalls M and S then Lidl on the way back. Stall holder said they are not in the Sheffield wholesalers yet.

[goodlife]

I've had look at shops and market in our town and nothing here yet neither.
Last time I bought quite a lot of them was from Chesterfield market and they were just come out....that was end of January then.
Perhaps the supply take tad longer to reach us...or maybe it don't happen until the bulk of them is ready in Spain 

[pumkinlover]

Waitrose are advertising organic ones at what I think is reasonable price as I would like organic and prepared to pay bit more as you eat the peel.
Of course no waitrose in Chesterfield!
Frustrating trip to town really as needed to post a registered letter and now the post office is shut the  alternative is hopelessly inadequate with huge ques and hardly any cashiers. Am I going off thread with a rant. Sorry.
Point is a few years ago the local greengrocers would have offered to save some Seville's or let me know when he had them. And the post office was open and the Co op! All shut now.
Rant over off to the allotment!

[goodlife]

Rant over off to the allotment!

It is good to get is off from you chest...   You will only do some damage if you bash around with spade with temper still switched on...

[Nora42]

yeah my local Waitrose have the oranges in stock so I can start to make marmalade this week - am I bonkers or what after two weeks of barely escaping from the kitchen because everybody is at home and on 3 meals a day I want to be back in there making a most labour intensive preserve.
Nora

[Pescador]

I'm having to use ones from the freezer, Pumpkinlover. Last year I bought my first ones on January 5th, and the local greengrocer says he'll have them "this week"
Was going to have a break today, but I managed to get 3 perfectly good cauliflowers at 20p each, so I'm off to make some Piccalilli now. (Good job I'm on the late shift tomorrow!)