The First Batch

(Please excuse the blurriness; for some reason, I absolutely could not get a sharp focus.)






It's the first batch of jellies/jams/marmalades, in any case. This is cherry-lemon marmalade. I dug through all of the recipes I could find in my books & on the web, and ended up basing it on this one.

I used half sour and half sweet cherries, and soaked the sliced lemons for two days rather than one. It still is a very loose set. When I make this again--and I will, it tastes terrific--I'll probably add a bit of commercial pectin, or use a chopped Granny Smith apple in the pectin bag.

My version made a dozen 4 ounce jars and two 6 ounce jars, with about 2 ounces left over, which I refrigerated.

Because of the pith used, it's probably a touch more bitter than most Americans like. If you don't like bitter marmalade, slice off the zest and sliver it, and remove the pith from the fruit before slicing and quartering it.

It's tart and rich and a trifle bitter. So far I've tried it on buttered toast and also with maple peanut butter on crackers. Next stop: trifle or cake filling!