Sour Orange Marmalade

This is old-school marmalade the way your grandmother might have made it, when citrus season meant putting up jars for the whole year. You’ll boil sliced orange peel until tender (changing the water if it gets too bitter), then extract juice from the pulp through multiple strainings.

The magic happens when you combine that intensely flavored juice with the softened peel strips, sugar, and a pinch of salt, then boil it to the jelly stage. The result is bittersweet, aromatic marmalade with tender peel throughout.

Sealed with paraffin in sterilized jars, this keeps beautifully for months in your pantry.

Pro Tips

• Use true sour oranges (Seville or bitter oranges) for authentic flavor, not regular sweet oranges
• Change the peel boiling water 2-3 times if bitterness becomes too intense for your taste
• Test for jelly stage by dropping a spoonful on a cold plate (it should wrinkle when pushed)
• Let the marmalade cool slightly before jarring so the peel strips distribute evenly instead of floating
• Save extra orange peel in the freezer for grating into baked goods or cocktails