Naartjie Marmalade

The trick to this yummy, but fairly tricky marmalade is all in the freshness of the fruit.

Makes: 3 X 400G jars.

Difficulty: Fairly Tricky

Ingredients

800g naartjies (I used small beauties, the size of a golf ball, picked off the trees on the Dunedin citrus farm - the fresher the better because naartjies contain way less pectin than other citrus.)

Juice of 1 lemon, retain the pips

2 litres of water

Sugar

Method

Peel the fruit, retaining the skin.

Cut the fruit in half and remove all the pips and set aside.

Place the fruit in a food processor and process till you have a pulp.

Pour into a preserving pan or heavy-based saucepan.

Slice the naartjie peels into thin strips, then add to the pulp along with the lemon juice.

Place all the pips in a square of muslin (or use a square of Superwipe cloth ) and tie closed with a long piece of string.

Place in the pulp, securing the string to the pan's handle.

Add the water and boil the mixture till the water has reduced by half and the skin is tender. ( If the skin can be easily pierced with a matchstick it is ready).

Measure the pulp and liquid in the pan and add an equal volume of sugar.

Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved then bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Cook till the mixture is syrupy and has gone slightly darker.

Bottle the marmalade in sterilised jars, filling so the jars are almost overflowing, and seal while hot.

Testing for Setting

Knowing when the marmalade has reached setting point is crucial.

The easiest way is to start by placing a couple of saucers in the fridge. When you think the marmalade is ready - it will look a little darker and be syrupy in consistency - drop a spoonful of it onto a cold saucer.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes; if the marmalade wrinkles when you push your finger through it, it's ready.

If not, carry on boiling for another 10 minutes and repeat the process.

Remove from the heat and bottle while hot.