Meyer Lemon Marmalade

We are blessed here in California to have the perfect weather for growing citrus. We have several Meyer lemon trees which supply us with lemons almost year round. Meyer lemons, if you are unfamiliar with them, are a milder variety of lemon than our standard “Eureka” lemon.

They are a cross between a regular lemon and an orange. They’re not quite as sour as regular lemons, and their peels are smooth and not as bitter. They make wonderful marmalade.

Every winter I make several batches of marmalade from the citrus growing in our yard. This Meyer lemon marmalade recipe is the “master” recipe from which I base all sorts of variations (adding grapefruit, blood oranges, etc.)

You can spice up this basic recipe by adding herbs or spices in the first stage of cooking, such as cinnamon, cardamom, rosemary, or vanilla. (Remove any whole spices or herbs before you add the sugar.)

I’ve tried to detail the recipe as well I could, making it easier for first time marmalade makers to be successful. Jam making is tricky; it really helps to do it a bunch of times; the more experience you have with it, the better jams you’ll make.

If you are just starting out with jam making, use a candy thermometer! Once you have enough jam making experience, you can more easily judge when the jam is ready without one, but until then, use one.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade Recipe

This recipe calls for Meyer lemons, a hybrid of a regular lemon and an orange, that is thinner skinned and sweeter than a regular lemon. You cannot substitute regular lemons for Meyer lemons in this recipe.

The proportion of lemon segments to water to sugar is 1:1:1. So if you don't have a kitchen scale and don't weigh your lemons to begin with, as you proceed through this recipe keep in mind these proportions. Your 2 1/2 lbs of lemons should yield 6 cups of chopped lemon. 6 cups of chopped lemon will be cooked first with 6 cups of water, and then later 6 cups of sugar are added.

You can also do this recipe with 4 cups of chopped lemons, 4 cups of water, and 4 cups of sugar. Do not double the recipe.

Do not reduce the sugar (if you want a reduced sugar recipe, use a different recipe); the sugar is needed for the jelly to set.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs of Meyer lemons (about 9 lemons)
• 6 cups water
• 6 cups granulated sugar

Equipment Needed:

• 1 wide 6 or 8-quart pan (Stainless steel or copper with stainless steel lining, not aluminum which will leach)
• A sharp chef's knife
• A candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer (I use a thermapen)
• 6 half-pint (8-oz) canning jars
• Cheesecloth, enough to double over and form a bag to hold the seeds for making pectin, or a Muslin jelly bag

Additional Equipment Recommended:

• Flexible plastic cutting board surface (to curl up to catch the lemon juice from the lemons to add to the fruit)
• Disposable latex or non-latex gloves to protect your hands from the acid from the lemons

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