Marmalade

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Also an excellent thermometer for wax preparation

 

[fian]

Marmalade is really unpredictable in reaching a setting point ... I've got my set recipe for quantities but the reality is that the Sevilles can vary from year to year and getting a firm but not rock hard set can be a bit hit and miss. It's why I add some apple pectin as it does make it a bit more reliable. A good sugar thermometer helps as well so you can be certain you've actually reached the setting point. The wrinkle test is a good indicator that you have a reasonable set.

If the water problem is really difficult to predict, for this reason I do not add water to the mixture but a little beer that helps to break down the sugars into simple units, which is why I let it marinate the night before before cooking. This makes the boiling stage much easier. The low heat and continuous stirring of the mixture speeds up the process and prevents the bottom from caramelizing if the quantity is large.
I prefer slightly liquid jam and when it has hardened a lot we call it quince (just like Aphrodite's fruit).
One way to obtain pectin is with citrus (the white part between the skin and the pulp is mostly pectin). Thus, the most suitable fruit is the tangerine (easy to peel and to obtain pectin). Another way is to cook the skins. Then you can always sauté them with a little sugar or honey to get candied fruit.

 

[Ian Morton]

Just for information, I have made marmalade for years using Nigel Slater's orange, lemon and ginger recipe, gorgeous but it's a faff. However, after I melted my assorted cappings etc in a double boiler to recover the wax, I was left with about 5lb of 'honey..ish' liquid beneath the recovered wax and gunge. Too runny to use as honey and totally unsaleable but tasted OK (very strong!) So I used that, more or less 2:1 with some sugar, a tin of Marmade and some ginger paste to see what happened. Eventually set well. Tastes great. It used up the otherwise unusable 'honey' stuff and I have marmalade. Job done. Less work. Will tweak the recipe in subsequent seasons.

 

[rje66]

Has any marmalade makers experienced fermenting of home made marmalade stored in kitchen cupboards??

 

[fian]

Has any marmalade makers experienced fermenting of home made marmalade stored in kitchen cupboards??

Generally, jam producers solve this drawback by acidifying the mixture, in the case of homemade jams adding natural lemon juice. Industrialists add preservatives. Depending on the producer's training, sterilization and vacuum sealing are usually carried out using an autoclave, similar to the procedure in canned fish.

 

[JohnRB]

I guess it is a matter of taste - I like my honey marmalade to taste of both oranges and honey - otherwise why not just make it with sugar. But each to their own. As we only make it in small batches for friends and family, it has never lasted long enough to ferment. I looked at selling some alongside my honey, but have concluded that labelling, food standards etc make it just too complicated.

PS I have had several discussions with friends as to how much honey needs to be present to justify calling it honey marmalade - there is no standard

 

[Erichalfbee]

Has any marmalade makers experienced fermenting of home made marmalade stored in kitchen cupboards??

I haven’t. I’ve got jam
In the shed that’s 10 years old. It’s ok
Mind you I don’t know if there’s an appreciable difference in keeping qualities.

 

[mychale]

I add honey when the marmalade is cool, otherwise it goes dark and I would suggest that the HMF content would be high. I also add sucrose in the form of white granulated sugar.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does heating sugar in solution( honey) create more hmf than heating sucrose dissolved in water?

 

[JamezF]

Does the HMF level really matter unless you feed your bees toast and marmalade of a Sunday morning?

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I add honey when the marmalade is cool, otherwise it goes dark and I would suggest that the HMF content would be high.

just heating it up to setting point will ensure the HMF is through the roof anyway, you are not feeding it to the bees so it doesn't really matter

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Does the HMF level really matter unless you feed your bees toast and marmalade of a Sunday morning?

Spot on. It's one thing to bother about max permitted levels of HMF in the Honey Regs, and quite another to be concerned about HMF levels in our food. The former is to indicate levels of heating in honey production. This might damage the honey, but not the humans eating it.

Separately, I use tins of fruit from Lakeland and my bees' honey (no sugar or water) to make marmalade. A knob of butter to reduce foam. No problems with setting.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Has any marmalade makers experienced fermenting of home made marmalade stored in kitchen cupboards??

No, after 2 years. Sterilized jars sealed when hot.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does the HMF level really matter unless you feed your bees toast and marmalade of a Sunday morning?

James

My point in a roundabout way

 

[ericbeaumont]

Has any marmalade makers experienced fermenting of home made marmalade stored in kitchen cupboards??

No, I use very warm Parfait jars and the vacuum does the rest. Believe that fermation may occur if the sugar proportion is too low, but I use 50/50 fruit and sugar which is low by standard recipes (some have twice the sugar as fruit) and don't have a problem.

 

[rje66]

Thanks for replies on the fermenting, maybe I need my sterilisation to be better.

 

[pargyle]

Thanks for replies on the fermenting, maybe I need my sterilisation to be better.

Wash the jars with soapy water, rinse well under running tap, place upside down on an oven tray to drain, turn them the right way up, place in a cold oven and set the oven temp to 150 degrees C, When the oven reaches temperature - five minutes more and they are sterile. Remove from oven, allow to cool to hand hot and fill immediately.

LIds - I always use new lids but put them in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes, drain and place the lids on kitchen roll or a clean tea towel, right way up, to drain and dry.

You can time jar and lid sterilisation to coincide with the end point of your preserve making. The lids go on whilst the preserve is still hot. Most lids will 'pop' down as the vaccum seals them. It's very reassuring when you press on the lids when the preserve has cooled and there is no 'give' in them.

LIke Dani I have jams that are a few years old and still absolutely fine. Be careful with chutneys or pickles though as the acid in the vinegar will attack metal lids in time. I tend not to keep these for much more than a year to eighteen months. You can get more shelf life if you use clip top Kilner jars with a new rubber seal.

Never had jams or marmalade go off or ferment unless there has been a faulty seal on the lid.

 

[Garry R]

Does the HMF level really matter unless you feed your bees toast and marmalade of a Sunday morning?

James

My bees never get to the toast and Marmalade course on a Sunday - they are full up on the cereal and bacon and eggs by then.

 

[JamezF]

What to try first? Thick cut, or medium cut?

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What to try first? Thick cut, or medium cut?

James

I prefer to be half cut