How to Make Black Cherry-Orange Marmalade
- 1). Wash two oranges and one lemon in warm, soapy water and rinse well. Trim the skin from the outsides, and set this peel aside to use later. Cut the fruits in half, juice them, and pour the juice into a large glass bowl.
- 2). Gather the squeezed orange and lemon halves plus the seeds and pulp left in the juicer, placing them in the center of the muslin square. Pull the edges of the cloth up and tie firmly with dental floss/clean string. Put this bag into the bowl with the juice (the seeds, membranes and pit of citrus fruits contain pectin which will help your marmalade to jell).
- 3). Add three cups of water to the juice in the bowl. Cut the peelings you set aside into small strips approximately 1/8 by 1/2 inch. Add these to the contents of the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
- 4). Pour the entire contents of the bowl into a large pan. Bring this mixture to a boil and simmer until the peelings are tender when rubbed between thumb and finger. Lift the muslin bag from the hot mixture and set it back into the bowl to drain.
- 5). Chop or grind one quart of pitted black cherries. Add the cherries and three and 1/2 cups sugar to the juice/peel mixture in the pan. Squeeze out any remaining liquid from the muslin bag into the bowl and pour this juice into the pan as well. Discard the muslin bag and its contents.
- 6). Stir the marmalade well and boil until it has thickened (about 30 minutes).Remove the pan from the heat. Let the contents cool 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming off any whitish foam that rises.
- 7). Ladle the marmalade into your jars, filling them to within 1/2-inch from the top of the jar rim. Wipe any drips off the jar rim, put the lids on, and screw the jar rings on firmly tight. Process the jars of marmalade for 10 minutes in a hot water bather.
- 8). Remove the jars of marmalade from the water bather and cool on a heat proof surface for six to eight hours. Check that the lids have sealed according to manufacturers instructions and remove the jar rings. Wash and dry the jars, label if desired, and store in a cool, dark place until ready to use.
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