Meyer Lemon Marmalade

FEBRUARY 9, 2011 ~ CAROLINE

This past week has been a crazy tornado of citrus! In the midst of the whirlwind of blood oranges, tangelos, lemons and honey tangerines,  I thought it might be nice to stick to Meyer Lemons and sugar for one batch- no fancy spices, no booze (well, not in the marmalade atleast), no other fruits, no added pectin.

I was able to do my shopping for the marmalade extravaganza at the Allemany Farmers Market in San Francisco, which is my absolute, hands down most favorite shopping experience.  I find so many lovely things there; just this last week I went home with fresh dates, a bundle of lemongrass, chanterelles, fresh baked croissants, a dozen oysters from Point Reyes, and, of course, a rainbow of citrus fruit! (The prices here tend to be really reasonable too, not like Whole Foods or other specialty markets).  With such high quality, fresh fruit, it seemed like a shame to mess with it.

I want to brag about only buying certified organic, but really, a signed statement from the farmer saying that he’s never sprayed a pesticide in his whole life seems more genuine than any certification from the government.

Enough about the farmers market, though, check out these lemons!  In case you haven’t seen then before, Meyer Lemons are smaller and juicier than regular lemons, and their thin skins are much more delicate, making it hard for normal grocery stores to stock them since they don’t ship well.  They are also incredibly aromatic.

This marmalade is simple, with no added pectin.  All you need is Meyer Lemons, sugar, water and time.  This recipe uses a ratio of 1 part prepared lemons to 1 part sugar, so once you’ve read the whole thing through, if you’d like to change the amount, it should work fine.

Ingredients:

• 36 Meyer Lemons
• 3 Water
• 6 Sugar

Because these peels are so thin and delicate, so I used a different method for preparing citrus fruit than I usually do.   First, I sliced off the ends of the fruit. Then I slice each lemon into quarters.

Using a sharp knife, slice out the tough inner piece of pith and remove any seeds.Slice into very thin wedges and put them into a nonreactive pot. Add a little water (I used 3 cups for 36 lemons; change the ratio accordingly).

Cover the pot, set it aside, and wait for a day.

After you’ve waited the full 24 hours, bring the lemons to a simmer and cook for 10-20 minutes or until the peels are soft.  Set aside the cooked lemon mixture in the fridge for an hour to cool and let the pectin develop. (The pectin, which makes the marmalade gel, is inside the lemons. By letting the lemons rest- first for 24 hours, then for 2 hours- the pectin oozes out into the surrounding liquid.)

After the hour has past, use a large measuring cup to see how much lemon mixture you have.  Combine equal parts lemons and sugar in a large, wide-bottomed nonreactive pot. I had six cups of the lemon mixture so I divided it into two separate batches just to make sure it didn’t have to cook forever to reach the gelling point (you lose a lot of flavor this way).

Cook on medium high, stirring fairly often, until the marmalade gels (about 30 minutes). It seems like everyone has a different way of testing for gel point, but I just use my trusty wooden spoon. When the marmalade drips off the spoon in one big sheet instead of single drops, it means it’s done.  (You can also leave a few small plates in the freezer, and when you think the marmalade is close, put a teaspoon of hot marmalade on the cold plate.  Wait 30 seconds, and run your finger through the marmalade. If you see little wrinkles on the surface of the marmalade, it means it’s set.) Ladle the hot marmalade into hot, clean jars. Wipe the rims of the jars clean and screw on the lids.  Process half-pint jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes to get a good seal.

RECIPE IDEAS:

This classic marmalade is great on english muffins with lots of butter, or as frosting on pound cake. It would also make a fantastic marinade for grilled chicken or shrimp, and it will work well in Spanish, Moroccan, or Middle-Eastern dishes.

As a bonus project, you can germinate some seeds and try to grow your own Meyer Lemon tree…

Just pull out some whole seeds, fold them in a damp paper towel, and put them in a ziploc bag. I blow some air into the ziploc bag so it’s like a little greenhouse.  Theoretically they will sprout in 7-14 days, and then you can plant them.  These little seeds probably won’t bear fruit for years and years, but they’re pretty plants and fun to grow.   Good luck! 

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10 thoughts on “Meyer Lemon Marmalade”

1. Pingback: January Charcutepalooza Challenge: Duck Prosciutto | grow it cook it can it
2. Pingback: 2011 Citrus Season Recipes | grow it cook it can it
3. Nadia PapaloukasMARCH 3, 2011 AT 12:38 AMThank you so much for this recipe! This is my first time canning and I’m super excited. We have a huge meyer lemon tree in our backyard and right now it’s exploding. Fruit is rotting off by the pound-full. If you ever want to come by and pick as much as you can carry I’d love to repay you for this awesome recipe. I live about a 15 minute walk from Alemany farmers market. Feel free to email me!
   -NReply
   1. CarolineMARCH 7, 2011 AT 4:46 PMnadia, i’m glad you like the recipe! i think i am coming to SF this week, I will have to drop you a line.Reply
4. carlaMARCH 26, 2011 AT 6:07 PMHey Caroline!
   Carla here, I am so excited about this recipe!! I cannot wait to get lemons when the season comes and make a huge batch of this. My in-laws LOVE lemon jelly.
   Also, the bonus of trying to plant your own trees!!
   How did yours go, were you able to plant them?
   I have to say, your blog is amazing! It inspires me so much. Thank you for having it. I am so glad that I get to brag about how cool my friend Caroline is and her awesome farm.
   hugs
   CarlaReply
   1. CarolineMARCH 27, 2011 AT 5:37 PMthanks so much for the lovely words carla… i have one little sprout that’s growing from those lemon seeds… it will be cool to see what happens. your in-laws will be very happy with that marmalade!Reply
5. Pingback: Valencia Orange Marmalade with Apples and Cranberries | grow it cook it can it
6. Ms. LemonJANUARY 15, 2013 AT 9:26 PMMeyer lemon is a hybrid plant. You will grow a lemon tree, that never bears fruit. However, I appreciate this recipe, since I have an abundance of lemons from my trees, and you deal with ratios instead of a recipe. I’m going to try this. I make jellies and jams in the summer, but never thought to make lemon marmalade. Lovely, and thanks.Reply
7. Ann MathersJANUARY 17, 2013 AT 10:48 PMI love the idea of not adding pectin products. I have made tangerine marmaladeq, to die for, and am doing the lemon now. Amazing what time and sugar can do. Thanks for all the tips.Reply
8. youcancannreJANUARY 29, 2013 AT 2:35 PMHello, we wanted to make you aware of our new canning website, http://www.canology.com, and let you know we are here for your readers! We have a wide variety of canning supplies on our site. We are looking forward to the next harvest. Please let us know if we can be of assistance in any way. Thanks.Reply