This recipe first appeared in the October 2020 edition of House & Garden. Here I’ve changed my original post slightly in order to make it blog-relevant.
Adapted for the use of the soft knobbly-skinned Cape lemon varietal, simply double the initial boiling time if using Mediterranean lemons.
Cape Lemon Marmalade
Makes 3-4 375ml jars
You will need:
- 2 kgs of lemons, rinsed
- 2 litres of water
- 2 kgs white sugar
Place the rinsed lemons into a large heavy bottomed pot and cover with the water. Close the lid of the pot and set the lemons over high heat to cook for 20 minutes or until soft. If using another lemon cultivar, you may need to adjust this cooking time.
Use tongs to remove the lemons from the water, reserving the water in the pot. Leave the lemons to cool before slicing away their stalk section and scooping out the pith and seeds. Reserving the pith and seeds, thinly slice the lemon peel and add back into the cooking water. Spoon about half of the reserved pith and seeds into a square of muslin and tie tightly with string. This will cook in with the lemon to add in pectin to naturally set the marmalade. Set the pot with the cooking liquid and peel over high heat and pour in the sugar. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and add in the muslin bag.
Leave the mixture to gently boil over low heat for 30-40 minutes or until set. To check the setting level of the marmalade, spoon a drop of the liquid on to a chilled plate. Push the drop with your finger and if it crinkles, the marmalade is ready. If not, continue to boil the mixture.
Once set, remove and discard the muslin bag and leave the marmalade to cool slightly. Spoon the marmalade into sterilised glass jars and refrigerate upon opening.
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