Red Marmalade

This recipe is inspired by the Barefoot Contessa's Orange Marmalade recipe. The deep colour comes from the blood oranges.

Wash jars in either the dishwasher or in hot soapy water. Put in the oven at 225F to sterilize. Place the sealing discs in a pot of very hot (not boiling) water.

Ingredients
4 medium oranges
2 medium blood oranges
2 lemons
8 cups white sugar

Wash fruit and remove any stickers or residue. Cut fruit in half and then slice thinly using a mandolin*. If you don't have a mandolin, you can do this by hand. Remove the seeds and add the fruit to a stainless steel pot. Pour in 8 cups of water.

Bring to a boil, stirring often. Once at a good rolling boil, remove from heat and stir in the sugar.
Leave out at room temperature overnight. I keep my pot on the back of the stove with the lid on.

The next day, bring the mixture up to the boil again. Once at a good rolling boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours. After 2 hours, turn the heat up to medium and boil gently for another 15-20 minutes. You can skim the foam if you like, but I don't bother.

To test if the marmalade is set, place a saucer or small plate in the freezer. Once cool, place a small dot of the marmalade on it and wait a few seconds. Push the dot of marmalade with your finger. If it's ready, the dot will wrinkle gently~. If your marmalade is too firm, add more water to the pot. If it is too runny, cook for 5 minute intervals and test at the end of each one.

Once the setting point is reached, immediately pour into hot, sterilized canning jars, leaving ¼” head space, and place a sealing disc on top. Put on the screw lid to finger tight. You don’t want it on too tight or it will affect the seal. I put the lid on finger tight, so it’s snug, then I undo it a ¼ turn.

Place the hot jars on a tea towel where they won’t be disturbed. Leave them overnight to seal. You should hear popping noises when your jars have sealed. A properly sealed jar has a lid that is concave and doesn’t move when you push it with your finger. Unsealed jars have lids that move up and down when you push them. After 24 hours, store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator.

Store in the pantry for up to 1 year. Makes approximately 4 pint jars.

*I found my mandolin at a thrift shop for $3.99!
~Marmalade will continue to set in the jars, so it's OK to start canning if it is a little bit runnier than you like.