Meyer Lemon Marmalade pulls away from sides of jar

Question

I made a batch of Rachel Saunders' Meyer Lemon Marmalade, it used 4#s of lemons, 7 1/2 cups of sugar, 8 cups water.  Cooked to 220 degrees and it met the frozen spoon test.  The recipe made 11,  8 oz, jars of marmalade.  I water processed 5 jars and then remaining 6.  24 hours later they all seem perfectly gelled in their jars, but 5 of them, when turning the jar on the side, pull away from the side of jar like there is a little bit of liquid in them.  Nothing drips on the inside of the lid and the marmalade is gelled in the jar.  I'm assuming these jars are ok, but have no idea why they pull away from the sides of the jars?  Has anyone had this experience or do you think there is a problem and they need to be reheated?  Thanks for the assistance.

ccg · Answer

You probably have a similar climate to me, I'm just north of Galveston so we have the same tropical storm issues.  My tree is in a raised bed so drains well.  I fertilize it with citrus fertilizer, usually in Feb &amp;amp; sometimes in May.  The tree produces most years, but it does take a year off now and then and doesn't make many lemons in the off year.

Gammy · Answer

So beautiful, I can only dream!!!!  I am in St. Petersburg FL and actually HAVE a Meyer Lemon tree in the backyard. It is maybe 6 years old and when I bought it, it was pruned as a shrub rather than a tree. It is about 4 feet high and I am lucky if I get 3-4 navel-sized lemons a year, although the tree is about 5 ft in diameter.  I think it gets too much water (a string of rainy summers and hurricane near-misses here). But it keeps blooming a bit, and I do get a couple of lemons from it.  :(

ccg · Answer

Thank you for helping me out!

ccg · Answer

I thought I'd send you a photo of my Meyer lemon tree.  Not sure where you live, but here on the Gulf Coast of Texas they grow large (navel orange to softball size).  I can find Meyer lemons, occasionally, in the grocery store, but they are tiny like limes.

ccg · Answer

Thanks Gammy!

Gammy · Answer

Meyer Lemon!  I'm envious!   I wonder if the marmalade may have gelled too much and is thicker than it should be... perhaps too much natural pectin in the fruit for the amount of sugar and water.  It certainly isn't spoiled as long as the jars sealed properly.  I have had jam behave like this occasionally, and its only flaw is that it is thicker than normal.

HalfPint · Answer

As long as the jars are still sealed, I think those are fine.  But if it you are still uneasy about them, keep them in the fridge.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade pulls away from sides of jar

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