Judith’s Meyers Lemon Marmalade Recipe

As usual, the weather is being weird. Freezing cold at one moment and unseasonably warm the next. This is very hard, not only for us but also for our garden. I am taking advantage of the extra snow available to me at this moment and scooping it into my garden. It will be a welcome blanket for my perennials when the next freeze-thaw cycle presents itself.

What are Meyer Lemons?

On Sunday, I was at my local grocery store looking for Seville oranges. I guess I am a couple of weeks early. I was missing my marmalade. I did find a special on Meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are cool. They are a hybrid of lemons and oranges (tangerines) and have very thin skin. They taste like lemons with an underlying sweetness, and they make an amazing marmalade. You cannot skimp on the sugar in this recipe, as it needs the sugar to set. I will add the recipe at the end if you would like to try it.

About Seed Purchases

A few of my seed purchases have arrived, and I have been putting them into my seed organizer. I am really hoping that this way I can have all the seeds available when I need them, so I won’t be running out to buy seeds that I already have! Before I start my seeds, I would like the area to be clean. I am behind in my plant shelf cleaning, so that is going to need to get done right away. I like to have the shelves fresh and clean before I put down seed trays. It gives them a fighting chance. I am also going to add chamomile tea to my water bottle as an experiment. It is supposed to help prevent dampness. I love doing experiments. Thinking of growing lemons from seed?

Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society, along with the West Carleton Garden Club and Horticultural Society and the Kanata-March Horticultural Society, are planning our second annual Seedy Saturday. I am helping with getting vendors organized, which is really fun, and I will be a vendor there as well. I was especially pleased to discover my farmer neighbours were growing microgreens. I invited them to participate. They are trying different seeds and containers as they get their venture off the ground. I picked up some pea sprouts, and oh my, they were delicious! I look forward to trying some of their other microgreens.

Judith’s Meyer Lemon Marmalade

What you need:

• 2 ½ pounds of Meyer lemons, which makes about 6 cups once they are chopped.
• 6 cups of water
• 6 cups of white sugar

Preparation

1. Be sure the lemons are clean.
2. Cut off the bottom of the lemon to stand it on end, then cut the lemon lengthwise, and then chop.
3. Lemon standing upright, ready to slice.
4. Place the little end, pith, and seeds into a layer of cheesecloth. I used a reusable jelly bag.
5. Pieces of lemon, pith, and seeds in cheesecloth. This is your pectin bag.
6. Put the chopped lemons and the water into a large pot, and place the pectin bag in as well. You can anchor it to the pot handle. Boil until the peels are soft, and boil uncovered for about 25 minutes. Remove the pectin bag, and once it is cool enough, squeeze it into the pot. You should get up to 2 extra teaspoons of pectin. Add the 6 cups of sugar.
7. Boil on medium-high and start checking the temperature. Now is the time for you to attach a candy thermometer. Boil for up to 35 minutes. The temperature should be 217 to 220 degrees. There is a jelly test you can do, but I feel more confident following the temperature. 
8. Ladle it into sterilized jars. You will notice that it has not set yet. Let it sit for at least 12 hours. You can do a 5-minute hot water bath. As the marmalade is high in acid and sugar, a hot water bath is not that necessary.

I strapped on my spikes to make my way to the chickens this morning. The ice is everywhere. Sometimes I feel so breakable. Enjoy your week. Judith 

(Email:  sghorticultural@gmail.com)  Veggie Bites are available at https://sghorticultural.wixsite.com/website or https://gardeningcalendar.ca/category/veggie-bites/