Recently I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to stay at home with my children once again and not have to worry about going to a job. I find this lifestyle more rewarding than any type of career I have worked in my professional life. Staying home allows me the time to do things like baking, gardening and canning which I did today. I love canning in the winter. It gets the house nice and warm and the jewel tones preserved in little glass jars are hints of summer days to come. Canning these oranges into orange marmalade today was a cheerful chore, reminiscent of sunshine and happy days.

The last few days I have been going through my cookbooks and bookmarking recipes that I want to try in the near future. My goal is to do at least one per week. The marmalade recipe comes from Put’em Up by Sherri Brooks Vinton. I’ve blogged some of her recipes before and find the book to be quite useful. I go through a lot of cookbooks and pass on many but this one is a keeper. Making marmalade is easy even though it is a 3 day process. My one suggestion would be to make sure you slice your oranges very thin or you will have big chunks of mushy orange peel in your marmalade. A sharp knife helps. My daughter loved the marmalade. I made 5 jars worth with just 6 oranges so this is a very good “thrifty” recipe if you already have the jars.

Orange Marmalade

• 6 large oranges
• 2½ cups water

• About 3 cups sugar

• 3 whole cloves or 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger (optional)

Prepare

1. Scrub the oranges and remove and discard a small slice from each end. Cut the oranges into quarters and remove any seeds, and then slice very thinly and place in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Pour the water over the orange slices and press down on the fruit to release some of its juice. Cover the pan with a tea towel and set aside on your counter overnight.
2. The next day, bring the mixture to a boil, and then simmer until the rinds are tender, about 30 minutes. Cool, cover, and set aside at room temperature again.
3. On the third day, measure the cooled mixture and return it to the saucepan with an equal amount of sugar and the cloves, if using. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until the marmalade gels, about 30 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to release air bubbles. Skim off any foam and discard cloves.

Preserve

 Ladle into clean, hot 4-ounce or half-pint canning jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Release trapped air. Wipe the rims clean; center lids on the jars and screw on jar bands. Process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.