Beautifully coloured and flavoured, most marmalades are translucent jellies containing small pieces of fruit or peel. Marmalades may be made from one or more fruits, one of which is nearly always a citrus fruit. Orange marmalade is, perhaps, the favourite and can be made from sweet oranges or bitter Seville (bigarade) oranges, which have a short season and are not always easy to come by.
Try also apple and ginger marmalade, an unusual combination, or three-fruit marmalade made from grapefruit, oranges and lemons.
Marmalades need slightly longer cooking and use less sugar than jams. The peel should be soaked first or cooked in water to help soften it before sugar, warmed for 7 minutes in a very slow oven, is added; otherwise, it will remain hard. Prolonged boiling after the sugar is added will not soften the peel but darken the colour of the marmalade and break down the pectin, causing it to lose its jelling properties. Pectin is contained in the pith and pips, which are cooked with the marmalade, usually in a muslin (cheesecloth) bag. To test for setting point: Place 1 teaspoon marmalade on a chilled saucer, wait 20 seconds, then run a finger through it. If the marmalade crinkles at the edges and stays in two separate portions, it is ready for bottling. Pack the warm marmalade into warm, dry, sterilised jars; cover, seal and label.
See Jams: Sterilising Jars; Potting and Sealing; and Storing.