Orange Jam

Image: Orange Jam

• Ingredients
  • 3kg oranges
  • 3 lemons
  • 3kg sugar
• Instructions
  • Remove the outside part of the orange and lemon peels, not including all the bitter white stuff (pith). I find that the easiest way to do this is using a vegetable peeler. This probably depends on the type of orange used, though. The ones I get usually have a thick layer of pith, but other types may only have a very thin layer. In that case, it might make more sense to peel the oranges and scrape the pith away from the inside of the peels. (Image)
  • Soak the removed peels in water overnight. As far as I know, this is supposed to remove some of the bitterness, but I'm not entirely sure. Apparently, it might also help to use hot water, but I haven't tried that.
  • Properly peel the oranges and lemons, removing as much of the pith as possible (there will always be some left, but it doesn't have to be perfect - the jam is supposed to have a somewhat bitter taste). Also make sure to remove any seeds the oranges and lemons contain. If a few seeds remain, they will float to the top when the mixture is boiling, so they can be removed then. (Image)
  • Drain the water from the soaked peels and break/cut them into small pieces so they can be puréed more easily with a blender. (Image)
  • Purée the orange/lemon pieces and peels. I always use a stick blender, but I suppose you could use a regular blender as well. (Image)
  • Add the sugar and bring to a boil.
  • Boil the mixture for ~45 minutes, stirring frequently. It should really boil properly, so make sure to use a big enough pot so the mixture doesn't boil over (I try to use a pot that is at least twice big as the mixture when it isn't boiling). You can periodically put a little bit a cold plate and wait for it to cool to see how hard it gets. 45 minutes of boiling worked well for me, but it depends on a lot of factors, such as the amount you make at once and the consistency you want the jam to have. The original recipe only boiled the mixture very briefly. (Image)
  • Fill the mixture into jars, screw on the lids, and set the jars upside-down until they are cooled.
  • Notes
    • Make sure to get oranges and lemons with edible peels that aren't waxed or treated in any other way.
    • The amount of sugar is approximate. Usually, you would use the same amount of sugar (by weight) as the fruit mixture, but here some weight is lost by removing all the pith from the oranges. I usually still use 3kg of sugar because that's convenient.

Source: "Das Kochbuch fürs Leben", 1957.