Meyer Lemon Marmalade

It's always a bonus when you get free fruits and veggies from those who just can't use them or will go to waste. You take the opportunity to find that special recipe and can up something incredible that you can share with them as a thank you.

I was fortunate to get Meyer Lemons from my sisters tree. She said that it's an "every other year" good crop and I just happen to be living here now to enjoy these amazing citrus. I have made marmalades but a true straight up Meyer Lemon version is tart/sweet and an amazing spread on chicken or fish.

As you can see from the picture Meyer lemons are much more of an orange color than their classic lemon counterpart. They have a smooth skin and a very thin rind. Most are sweeter rather than tart and are an exception substitute in making lemon meringue pies and other lemon flavored desserts.

Here is the Meyer Lemon Marmalade recipe I used which I did with no pectin. Instead I brought the sugars up to 220 degrees to get the marmalade to set.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade
8 large Meyer lemons
4 cups of sugar

Also needed is a candy thermometer.

Preparation: Prepare 5 half pints lids, and rings. Sterilize the jars and keep them in the hot water till its time for processing. Rinse the lemons and pat them dry. Halve the lemons and juice them removing the seeds as you go. Reserve the juice. Using a spoon scrape out the pulp and remove any residual seeds.

Using a sharp knife slice the peels into 1/8 inch thick strips.

Cooking: In a large stainless steel or enameled Dutch combine 2 cups of water and the peels. Bring heat to high till you are simmering. Let simmer for 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Let peels sit for 20 minutes in water.  This process helps to release the pectin and soften the peels so they are not chewy.

Add juice and pulp and additional water to bring to 3 cups of liquid.  Add 4 cups of sugar. Bring mixture up to a boil and continue cooking until mixture reaches 220 degrees using a candy thermometer.  Once it reaches this temperature, which takes about 10 minutes, remove from heat. To test the marmalade use the Sheet or Plate test. (see bottom of this site for instructions) If the consistency is not right put it back on the stove and boil for another minute. Retest.

Filling the jars:  On a dishtowel place your hot jars and using your funnel in each jar fill leaving  1/4”  headspace.  Taking a clean papertowel wet it with warm water and wipe the rims of the jars removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Using your magic wand extract the lids from the hot water and place them on the now cleaned rims. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight".

Processing: Make sure your rack is on the bottom of the canner and place the jars in the water bath making sure that the water covers each of the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add hot water to the canner if it doesn't measure up. Cover the pot and turn up the heat under the canner and wait for the water to start boiling. Once the water has come to a boil start your timer for 10 minutes. When complete turn off the heat and remove the cover and let the jars sit for another few minutes. Remove the jars and place them back on the dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Do not touch or move them till the next morning.

Sealing: Sometime in the next hour your jars will be making a "pinging" or "popping" noise. That is the glass cooling and the reaction of the lids being sucked into the jar for proper sealing. Some recipes may take overnight to seal. Check your lids and reprocess any jars that did not seal.