Spice Free Orange Marmalade
Bright, bittersweet, and deeply citrusy, this homemade marmalade is the kind of preserve that makes a plain piece of toast feel like a special occasion. It comes together with just four ingredients — fresh oranges, lemons, water, and sugar — so there is nothing hidden in the jar and nothing to second-guess at the breakfast table. For anyone navigating a sensitivity to seasonings and spices, store-bought spreads can be a minefield of "natural flavors" and unexpected additives, but this recipe keeps things completely clean and transparent. The technique is more methodical than difficult: you coax natural pectin from the pith and seeds using a cheesecloth bundle, which means no commercial pectin and no mystery ingredients needed to get that gorgeous, glossy set. A candy thermometer and the classic frozen-plate wrinkle test take the guesswork out of knowing when you have hit the perfect consistency. The finished marmalade has that signature balance of sweet and pleasantly bitter that only real citrus peel can deliver, and it fills several half-pint jars you can seal, gift, or keep on the shelf for weeks.
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Learn more →Ingredients
48 servings
- 2 lbs navel or seville oranges (about 4 medium), scrubbed
- 2 lemons, scrubbed
- 8 cups water
- 6 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- 1
Halve all the oranges and lemons. Squeeze the juice from each half into a large heavy-bottomed pot (at least 8-quart), catching the seeds and any loose pulp in a fine-mesh strainer set over the pot. Transfer the seeds and strained pulp to a double layer of cheesecloth; set the squeezed halves aside.
- 2
Using a spoon, scrape the white pith and any remaining pulp from the inside of each squeezed orange and lemon half and add it to the cheesecloth bundle — this pith is rich in natural pectin and is essential for the set. Tie the cheesecloth into a secure bundle with kitchen twine, leaving a long tail to tie to the pot handle.
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