Topic: Calling all marmalade experts - NO PIPS!!!!!

[SueK]

Ok, there I was prepping some pink grapefruit to make some marmalade later on today.  Some pressure as it's going to be presents for teachers tomorrow, all being well.
Anyway, I have done this before so wasn't unduly worried at the time.  The instructions said, keep the pips to one side, but the only ones in the fruit were absolute tiddlers, more specks than pips, and there were barely any in any case.  No problem, I thought, because there are bound to be some I can use instead in the lemon.  Well, there was ONE whole normal size pip in the lemon.

Can I increase the amount of lemon juice in the recipe to make up for the lack of pips (like you would if using frozen fruit, for example) or is it just going to make it unpalatable or take away that lovely flavour you get with pink grapefruit?  I'm using 1lb of grapefruit, it should be 4 tbsp of lemon juice.

Alternatively, could I cheat and use a sugar with added pectin and just carry on with the recipe as normal, in which case would it be JAM sugar or PRESERVING sugar?

Any help really really would be appreciated,  :)
Sue

[peanuts]

Grapefruit marmalade sets fairly easily.  Don't worry about pips!  It is  usually only seville oranges that you  are told to keep the pips for flavour, and I haven't bothered with that for years and years. My proportion of fruit is usually about 4 large grapefruit and two lemons, but I use the whole fruit of both every time.  Never used pectin or  preserving sugar for any jam/marmalade!

[Toshofthe Wuffingas]

I've heard the pips aren't necessary too. That's a relief because it means I can fish the 100's of pips from the Sevilles next year before I start. I believe it is the pith that is really rich in pectin.

[SueK]

Well that's nice to know!  :)

I'll work with what I've got and see how it goes.  Aren't grapefruit a hybrid anyway, so they may not be blessed with lots of pips in any case: maybe I've just never noticed until now! :)