Lemon Marmalade part 2

If anyone missed the beginning, please go there first. It is most helpful when making marmalade to start at the beginning. Lemon Marmalade...part one just shows how we began. When it all comes down to it though, you will end up with a pot like this...

The sugar to pulp ratio is as follows:

1 cup pulp/zest mixture to 1 cups sugar.

I don't make large batches. The jam just seems to turn out better if you do it that way.

14 large lemons will usually yield the 4 cups pulp to 4 cups sugar batch, which is perfect. This will yield 8 cups of jam.

There are two ways to make the marmalade from here. You can cook about 30 minutes until the temperature reaches 220 degrees or you can use this stuff called Certo.


Boil the marmalade. Add one pouch of the liquid certo (to the 8 cup batch) and boil one more minute. Remove from heat. It's much faster.

When home canning jams or marmalade, the safest way to do it is to use a boiling water bath canner. Older methods have proven to be unsafe. I personally don't want to mess around with any chance of getting my family sick from a food born illness. I know a lot of folks who have just ladled the hot jam into jars without water processing the jam. Some use wax instead of lids. Some do a lot of other things. I'm with the FDA on processing the jars. If you have any questions, please study it out. "Canning for Dummies" by Karen Ward is one of my favorite resources. Very comprehensive.

Here's my water bath canner for high acid foods like jams, jellies, and canned fruit. If one where to can meats, beans, and vegetables, then the only safe method is a pressure canner. The pressure canner will get hot enough to kill bacteria and preserve low acid foods.

Water bath canner...

It has a rack inside to keep jars from sitting on the bottom of the pan. Not only does this help the water to circulate around the jars, but also keeps the fast heat transfer that would crack the jars otherwise.

I wash and sterilize the canning jars. Then I boil water, and put the lids in it. This softens the rubber seals and will ensure your jars seal correctly.

I also have a funnel that I cleaned and sterilized before I started this venture. It will keep that marmalade going into the jars instead of all over the counter. Oh my life before the funnel was almost as bleak as life before chocolate.

I ladled the hot marmalade into the jars. I actually made two batches. Yielded 12 half pint jars and a single pint.

The trick is to get the marmalade filled just right. 1/4 inch from the top of the jars. Then once the jars are filled, wipe the top rim clean with a clean wash cloth (NOT one that has been used to was old nasty dishes or the floor...yikes.) Keep the rim clear of bacteria. Apply the lids and screw bands.

Oh...and I highly recommend the use of one of these little babies...
The canning clamp. It looks a lot like what doctors use to grab babies heads.

I use it to grab jar heads...

Then I sacrifice them to the boiling lava...
Kind of like a bad pirate movie huh?

Jars should be covered with water 2 inches over the lids...completely sub level. No cheating. Start the timer when the water comes to a rolling boil. Leave them in there for 10 minutes.

Remove and put on a clean dry kitchen towel. I don't move my jars for at least 12 hours to ensure the seal isn't broken. Keep them away from drafts as well. Once the 12 hours is over, remove the twist on rings and rinse the rims to remove any jam that may have seeped out during processing. Use within one year of canning for best safety.

Enjoy the fruits of my labor. It's a tart lovely marmalade. I know it's one of my family favorites.

There you go.