METHOD:

1. Wash the skin of all the fruit to remove any debris or wax if they have been commercially grown.

   Remove the ends from the fruit and put aside. Quarter the oranges and lemons and cut the grapefruit into eighths. Slice finely.

   Save any pips and the thick pith which holds the segments together. Place into muslin or calico cloth with the ends of the fruit. This will be made into a pectin bag. The Notes section below explains how to make a pectin bag. 

2. Place the prepared fruit, pectin bag  and the water into a large ceramic or stainless-steel bowl.

   Cover the bowl with a fresh clean tea towel and allow the ingredients to soak overnight.

3. The next day, place the mixture and pectin bag into a large preserving pot and simmer gently until the citrus peel is soft. The Notes section below explains how to test if the peel is cooked.

   Use clean kitchen gloves to remove the pectin bag and squeeze to extract as much water and pectin from the peel, core, and pip mixture as possible. Discard the contents and wash the bag so it can be reused again. 

4. Add the warmed sugar and stir continuously until it is dissolved. Bring to the boil quickly and boil rapidly for approximately 10 minutes. Check to see if it has reached the setting point. If not, allow to boil and keep checking every 2 minutes until it reaches the set point using either the  flake or wrinkle test or until it reaches 105 C/220 F.

5. Remove from the heat and with a stainless-steel or any other fine-edged spoon, skim the top of the marmalade to remove any scum that has accumulated during the cooking process.

   Allow to cool slightly for approximately 5 minutes, then stir gently to distribute the peel evenly. 

   Using a funnel, pour into dry sterilised screw cap sealable bottles and fill to approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) from the top of the bottle.

6. Seal, label, and store in a cool dark place in the kitchen or pantry.

   Allow the marmalade to mature for at least 2 weeks before eating.

NOTES:

• Use fresh citrus picked recently as the pectin content is likely to be higher. Pectin is concentrated in the seeds, pith, peel, and cores of fruit. Don’t discard them. They are invaluable in jam and marmalade making as it is the ratio between the fruit acids, pectin and sugar that makes them set.
• The pith of bitter oranges becomes translucent during cooking, the pith of other citrus fruits remains opaque. This doesn’t affect the flavour and texture,  however, if you  want a clear appearance, remove the pith and place some of it in the pectin bag.
• To make a pectin bag, drape clean sterilised calico or muslin cloth over a bowl. Place the pith, pips, and fruit ends in the cloth. Gather up the ends and close the bag by tying it up with kitchen string. Allow room, between the tie point and fruit mass, so the water can bubble through the bag easily which helps to extract as much pectin as possible. It’s now ready to use. Discard the fruit once the bag has been removed from the preserving pan. Wash, dry and keep the cloth for the next batch. My tea towel draw has a range of different sized cloths that are on hand for my jam and marmalade experiments.
• If the fruit contains a lot of pith, only put a small amount in the pectin bag, otherwise the marmalade can take on a bitter taste.
• To wash the fruit, I use a pair of Skrub’a gloves. A wonderful invention, they are made of a slightly course material that magically scrubs fruit and vegetables with the greatest of ease. Easy to wash and dry, they are an indispensable item in my kitchen. Special thanks to my very dear friend Sue, who found them in a cookware shop.
• To test if the peel is cooked, squeeze a piece between the thumb and finger; it should squeeze easily to a mush. 
• To warm the sugar, put the recipe quantity in an oven proof container and place in a preheated 120 degrees C oven for approximately 10 minutes. The sugar should be warm to touch, not hot. Warmed sugar, dissolves quickly and a rapid boil until the setting point is reached helps to preserve the fresh citrus flavour
• If you don’t have a preserving pan, use large pot, preferably stainless steel. Ensure there is enough space available in the pot for the mixture to double in size while it is rapidly boiling.
• Any stray pips that managed to end up in the pot will rise and fall while the marmalade is boiling. As the cooking progresses, they will become increasingly darker, making them easier to see. Remove while you can so that they don’t end up in the jar. If you are entering your marmalade into any competitions, judges will mark your submission down if they see them. 

Happy marmalading