A friend recently told me they had never had Orange Jam, they knew about marmalade, but not orange jam. I still had some navel oranges so decided to make up a small batch to share.
Prepped the oranges, the jam requires the pith, seeds, and skin to be removed as they turn the flavour to the more recognised marmalade style. I zested the oranges before peeling so I could use the zest for the Orange Custard Cake, but ended up needing the zest for extra flavour in the jam.
Only managed 3 small bottles, but it was meant to be a small batch. Looking forward to sharing it’s orange yumminess!
It is best on toast I think, I had some last night on toast and it was really tasty - orangey without being tart like marmalade is.
The difference is in what goes into the jam. Marmalade uses the skins, sometimes the seeds (in a bag so can be easily removed) and often uses a lemon as well for setting purposes. Lemons have lots of pectin.
For the orange jam, only the flesh of the orange is used. All the pith and skin is removed as it has a bitter flavour and is what distinguishes jam from marmalade.
Although the recipe called for macerating the orange flesh in the sugar for a couple of days, (doing that really, really does work with strawberries when making jam), I chose to forgo that yesterday due to impatience.
I’ll make another batch eventually, when it’s winter and not the height of summer and I will macerate the oranges then.
I can admit to eating a spoonful or two of it on its own - just for quality control purposes of course.
My friend attested to its deliciousness today too - “orange with a very pleasant aftertaste and no hint of marmaladeyness” was their verdict after trying it on buttered white bread toast.
Yeah, making preserves does tend toward being a fair bit of work. My friend really likes it, and so do I, so it’s been worth the efforts.
I wish it was possible to buy properly made, and tasting, jams and pickles, but sadly, I can’t so have to make them for myself.
The recipe I will use next time requires the fruit to be left in the sugar (in the fridge) for a couple of days to draw the flavour out (called maceration) but I’ll have to type that one up as there’s no link to it even though it’s in the old Women’s Weekly Cookbook.
Let me know if you need anything more or if you can’t get the link to work.
and I will macerate the oranges then.