Simple Blood Orange Marmalade & Vintage Labels

While wandering Whole Foods I stumbled upon "the famous" Meyer Lemon Martha made so popular. I needed to find a way to use them and I remembered a recipe for a fantastic sounding marmalade using meyers and blood oranges. Thanks Kitchen Table Scraps for the recipe, it turned out so perfect. I made 2 batches. A smooth texture and the perfect glossy sweetness for a piece of buttered toast or a dipping sauce for coconut shrimp. Let me know when you try it and tell me everything!

Blood Orange & Meyer Lemon Marmalade

3 Blood Oranges
3 Meyer Lemons
2 cups Sugar
Pinch of salt
Yield: 2 cups marmalade

Grate Peel:

Using a coarse grater, grate the outer layer of the peel from all of the oranges and lemons. Set Aside.
Cut Fruit:

Using a very sharp knife, cut off the top and bottom of each orange and lemon. To remove the rest of the the outer skin and pith(white part), cut strips of the skin away from the fruit, following the curve of the fruit. Slice the skinned fruit into 1/2" thick rounds.
Cook Fruit:

Place the cut fruit and all the sugar in a large stainless steel stockpot or dutch oven. Place the pot over high heat and stir. Stir vigorously to break up the fruit. At this point you really only care about breaking up the fruit. When the fruit is thoroughly mushy, turn off the heat and pour the fruit and sugar mixture through a sieve. (If you are juicing the fruit, you can skip this step and go straight to cooking the marmalade)
Cook Marmalade:

Add the reserved peel to the fruit and juice mixture and pour back into your stock pot. Place over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture is boiling, turn the heat down to medium/low. At this point you are essentially waiting for liquid to evaporate. You will need to stir the marmalade frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The mixture will begin to thicken after several minutes of boiling. To test the consistency of the marmalade, drip a little onto a chilled plate. If it wrinkles when you press it then it is set, if not continue to cook but remember that the natural pectin will continue to firm up for a day or two in the fridge, so you should stop cooking your marmalade while it is still a little runnier than you want the finished marmalade to be. Store: In the refrigerator for several months. Of course you can sterilize and seal this recipe in jars too, but stored in the refrigerator there is no need for these additional steps.

CUTE VINTAGEY CANNING LABELS

Make sure to try these labels if you are canning. I spotted on a sonoma garden. Great blogger! She has the template all set up to print 12 at a time. I'm using the green ones and saving my jars for Easter & Mother's Day gifts! It feels so good to be ahead of the
game for once...lol.