Yes, yet another bad pun from me. This one is based on the fact that I did a little bit of canning yesterday. What did I make you ask? You DID ask didn’t you? Please tell me you asked. Otherwise I’ll cry and believe you me, I do NOT look pretty when I cry. Middle aged fat women lacking good teeth rarely do.

On topic… I’m a jam, jelly, preserve, marmalade fanatic. Also chutneys, relishes, etc etc. If it can be spooned up out of a jar, chances are that I’ll like it. So it was natural that at some point I would teach myself to do home canning. I started about ten years or so ago and haven’t stopped since. I absolutely ADORE canning my own jams and such. I like coming up with new flavors and I like knowing what is going into them.

So yesterday, I wanted to find a way to preserve some of the precious Meyer Lemons I had on hand. As much as I loved the pound cake I made, I wanted something that would keep the flavor going for a few months. So what else would I do other than can some?

My family isn’t as big on marmalade’s as I am, but I could eat it straight out of the jar. The chewy peel, the sweet tart jelly…yum! This one was particularly good being made with the Meyer lemons. There isn’t as much pith in Meyer lemons (the bitter white part) so this didn’t have that slightly bitter edge to it that some marmalades can have and while I don’t really MIND that, I like it better if it isn’t bitter. This was slightly chewy from the peels, nicely tart but not overwhelmingly so as it could be from regular lemons. I swear, I could just stand there with a spoon and the jar.

Give this a try. If the idea of canning scares you, you could also refrigerate this. Just put it into plastic or glass containers with lids. It will last a few months stored cold. This recipe comes from Gourmet.com

Now excuse me while I go  eat this straight from the jar.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

1. 6 Meyer Lemons
2. 4 cups water
3. 4 cups sugar

• Halve lemons crosswise and remove seeds. Tie seeds in a cheesecloth bag. I used a coffee filter tied shut with a bread tie lol. Hey, whatever works right?
•  Quarter each lemon half and thinly slice. Combine with the bag of seeds and water in a large pot (non aluminum) and let mixture stand, covered, at room temperature 24 hours.
• Bring the lemon mixture to a boil over moderate heat.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 4 cups, about 45 minutes. Stir in sugar and boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until a teaspoon of mixture dropped on a cold plate gels, about 15 minutes. This part took 35 minutes for me. Just don’t let it cook TOO much or you will end up with impossible to chew lemon goop.
• Ladle hot marmalade into jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of top. Wipe rims with dampened cloth and seal jars with lids.
• Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot. Add enough hot water to cover jars by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Boil jars, covered, 5 minutes and transfer with tongs to a rack. Cool jars completely
• Alternately, store this in tightly covered containers in the fridge. I got a little over 4 half pints from this recipe. I canned the 4 half pints and used the extra 3/4 cup or so in a chicken dish last night.