Aga Marmalade

This holiday week is whistling past in a haze of play dates and lunches. I've been enjoying myself and not taking too many pictures. So, especially for my Aga ❤ Love Flickr group, here are the marmalade sessions.
Place 3lb Seville oranges in a pan with 4 pints of water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Bring to the boil and transfer to the simmering oven overnight (pop an old plate on top to keep the oranges submerged!)
Measure out 6lb of sugar. I use cheap, ordinary granulated and mix in about 400g of muscovado sugar as we like our marmalade to be dark! Put this in a heatproof bowl on the back of the Aga to warm through.
The next day, when you're ready to get cooking, take the oranges out of the bottom oven and place all your clean jars into the bottom oven to warm through. Place a stack of teaplates into the fridge.
Remove the squishy oranges from the liquid and place in a colander over a dish. Leave to cool a bit until you can handle them.
I use an ice-cream scoop to remove all the bits and pith.
Plonk it all back into the pan with the juicy water (not forgetting the sticky liquid in the dish under the collander!)
Heat this through on the boiling plate for about 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile chop up the peel to your preferred size - we aim for goldfish sized lumps in the Kitschen household, but not everyone wants to chew their way through huge lumps of orange at breakfast!
Once the liquid has boiled, strain it through a sieve and really push through the pulp to catch all the sticky goodness.
This is the pectin rich liquid that will make the marmalade set.
Add the liquid to your orange peel and separate into two batches. This is to enable a good rolling boil without a horrid mess spilling all over the boiling plate!
Place the first batch into the preserving pan and add half the sugar and 1.5 pints of cold water. Heat through on the simmering plate until the sugar has thoroughly melted. If you are using a heavy based pan it should be fine, if not be sure to stir continuously to avoid burnt sugar at the bottom of the pan!
Once the sugar is all gone and there are no crystals in the liquid, move the pan across to the boiling plate and allow it to boil for 10-15 minutes.
Test for setting point - put a teaspoon of liquid onto one of the cold tea plates, pop it back in the fridge and then see if the surface wrinkles when you push it with your finger. If not, lick your finger, and the plate, then try again (with a clean plate of course!). It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes!
As soon as your marmalade is cooked remove the pan from the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then add 4 tablespoons of Single Malt Whiskey snaffled from hubby's decanter.
After another 5 minutes, remove your jars from the bottom oven and fill the jars using a jam funnel (this and the preserving pan are my two essential pieces of equipment for all preserving). Where possible use screw lids to close the jars; they are so much more practical for re-closing! Put the lids on either when the marmalade is still steaming hot or when it is completely cold; never when it's just warm! If you don't have the lids you can buy standard sizes from Lakeland.
I have made 4 batches this year so we are well stocked for my favourite Sunday morning breakfast; Thick buttered toast and Dark Seville Orange and Whiskey Marmalade.

Tomorrow the beautiful boy and I are spending a day at home doing some still life painting.
Orange on a Plate. Ink line and wash. 1992.
I have promised myself that I shall start painting again this year and the boy is keen to help.
I'm really very excited about unpacking my inks and brushes and beginning to dabble. I just hope I'm not going to be painting a still life of 'Hot Wheels, iPod and a dinosaur' ... t.x

Comments

mitmot said…
thanks for sharing this recipe Mr Sainsburys is delivering my saville oranges tomorrow so I will be trying out your recipe in my 1952 AGA!
Hen said…
Your orange picture is v nice. Look forward to seeing more of your art work. Enjoy your painting day.
Hen x
myminimocs said…
shall i email you my address so you know just where to send those yummy preserves LOL - that looks amazing!!! great post!
Anonymous said…
Looks like great fun!!! Thanks for sharing, I love your aga....one day i'll have one! xx
Where I work with my charge, they had an aga put in before they moved. When it was delivered I was invited over and me and her mum stood like excited kids stroking it........ lucky you! Whiskey marmalade....... positively salivating just thinking of it. Reminds me of childhood. x
silverpebble said…
I've never made marmalade (this my be my first year of doing so) but it's been a treat watching you make it! Lovely painting too - thanks, Emma x
Floss said…
Great pictures! My husband is Mr Marmalade in our family - I only do the tidying up (and what a tidying up that is!) and a bit of friendly peel chopping if he's looking lonely.

Here in France it's a challenge to get Seville Oranges, as there is no tradition of marmalade making. However, an enterprising English friend solved this problem years ago by placing a yearly order with her local organic greengrocer, who orders her oranges specially from Spain. She then holds a 'marmalade tea party' for all her British friends who have ordered from her, where we collect our punnets, and then we all go home and make our marmalade!
Teena Vallerine said…
MM - hope your marmalading goes well! You don't have to add the whiskey - it's just preference! t.x

Hen - I"m very out of practice so we'll see how it goes before I reveal any daubing! t.x

MMM - I think I'd need to know that you were over 18 before sending boozy marmalade! t.x

Lucy B - I recommend refurbished! That way it'll cost less than a house to buy it! t.x

MM Well we might have known you'd have a whiskey soaked childhood! t.x

SP - thank-you too. But I recommend you do make some - it smells and tastes so much better than the pictures! t.x

F - same here - my lovely neighbour bought 15 kg and shared them out! t.x
Gosh, I never realised that I'd find the marmalade making process so fascinating................. but I did, really and truly.
I love your watercolour, the orange sitting on the plate with an orange pattern is wonderful................ I really like your loose style. Looking forward to seeing more!
Vanessa x
Shannon said…
Your photos of the marmalade making were beautiful and informative. And your painting is beautiful... you have many talents!
Sea Angels said…
Ha!! a girl after my own heart, and an Aga .....perfect..thankyou for treading quietly..
Hugs Lynn xx
Niki Fretwell said…
Hi T,
What a domestic goddess you are!...I haven't made marmalade before (only jam) We're not a very 'sweet tooth' family - but I remember Mum making it years ago and how lovely the kitchen used to smell...don't think she used to add whiskey! I'm sure it must add a welcome kick-start to mornings!

Hope you had a wonderfully artistic day...look forward to seeing your masterpieces,
Niki x
Great "how to" & lovely Aga-ness too!
Teena Vallerine said…
Vanessa - 'more' may be slow in coming! first efforts a bit wobbly! I'd forgotten how much I hate using watercolours too! t.x

Shannon - thank-you sweetie t.x

SA - Welcome and I hope you're feeling better! t.x

Niki- oh the smell! I love the smell! Roll on January so I can make some more! t.x

CCC - thank-you honey! t.x
~ Phyllis ~ said…
I love your blog. All the beautiful color, the pictures, everything. It's so cheerful.
Thank you for the Crazy Quilt tutorial.
Miss Prudence said…
Hi Pinkie,
an AGA is a stove right? Anyway, it must be conserve making season, I just collected my jars together. Can't wait to see your jars all assembled...I'm a bit cross eyed with stress so I had better be vigliant with my jam to avoid that "burnt" taste (did that once before and had to call it "burnished plum" for a laugh!)

Beautiful colourful posts as usual. Thank you for the pleasant visions xxxL
Sea Angels said…
Ah thankyou, a lovely comment, do you know I think our agas are the same era is yours 50's, I'm looking at a picture of it and you look similar....lovely to know a fellow Aga nut ha ha....hope the coat fits xx
Hugs Lynn xxx
Teena Vallerine said…
Phyllis - you're very welcome sweetie! t.x

Lynda - it's a cooker a room heater, a clothe dryer, allsorts of useful reasons to have one! t.x

Sea Angels - yep! 1950's for sure! t.x
mitmot said…
Just to report back i made a batch of marmalade following your recipe and its FAB - thanks for sharing :-)
Lizhum said…
Thank you for blog,very helpful
I am dog sitting for a couple who are away and they have an aga.makes wonderful bread.I am about to make my marmalade.
The owner makes it this way and I can’t wait to make it the same way.God bless