Author Notes
Amazingly delicious marmalade that tastes like you've spread a little bit of your favorite lemon-lime artificially-sweetened carbonated beverage on your toast.
Caveat Emptor: I haven't had this recipe tested by the University of Georgia folks, so I'm not 100% certain on the jar processing time. That said, for as short a while as this marmalade lasts in our house, none of us has come down with anything. —the_matt
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Ingredients
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1 pound
meyer lemons
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2 pounds
key limes
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2 tablespoons
grated, fresh ginger
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2 pounds
granulated sugar
Directions
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Slice the lemons, first in half (length-wise), then as thinly as you can (cross-wise). Place in a large, non-reactive pot. (I like to use an enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven).
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Juice all of the limes into your pot through a wire-mesh strainer (keeps those seeds out!)
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Add enough water to the pot to just cover the lemons, then let them sit, covered, overnight.
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Put a plate with several teaspoons in the freezer - you'll need these later for testing the set of things.
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Bring your mixture to a hard boil for approximately 20 minutes - you're looking for the lemon rinds to start to get tender here.
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Replace whatever water you just cooked off, then add the sugar and ginger, making sure to stir it in thoroughly.
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Return to a gentle boil and reduce heat to maintain that slow, gentle boil. Stir occasionally, picking up the frequency as the water cooks out and you get closer to gel-stage (you don't want the stuff on the bottom to get stuck and burn). Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to stir more frequently/vigorously to keep it from foaming over. Alternatively, you can lower the heat for less foam, but this will lengthen cooking time.
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When the foam starts to settle down and the liquid starts to darken, remove from heat and test the gel using one of your frozen spoons; spoon out a little bit, return the spoon to the freezer for a minute or two. Feel the bottom of the spoon - it should feel room temperature. If it's too hot, put it back in the freezer a moment longer. If the marmalade has the sort of set you like, you're done! Otherwise, put it back on for another 2-5 minutes and then test again.
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This should keep in the fridge for at least a week, but you can water-bath can it; I processed my half-pint jars for 10 minutes. I imagine it's shelf stable for at least a year, but I've not had the chance to find out, since we eat it too fast :-)
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