Preserves

This is one fantastic way to preserve mushy fruits that are just about to go off! The making of homemade marmalade is so easy; it is such a wonderful pastime and is great for your own personal use or as personalized presents, as well. Marmalades are different from jams because these have actual fruit bits, so that makes it extra special and seemingly more natural.

Citrus fruits are normally used to make marmalade but in this case, the use of exotic fruits such as papaya, mango, pineapple, calamansi, guava, banana, pomegranate and jackfruit are wonderful choices, as well. Any fruit is ideal, with not too many awkwardly positioned seeds that are almost impossible to remove. Durian is probably another option (if you could appreciate its smell).

The principle of marmalade making is so simple. You first wash the fruits and cut into your preferred size (small pieces work out best but it all depends how lumpy you want it), then boil in a pot with water to extract its natural sugars and fruit juices. There is no time required for this, just stick to your instincts. Once your mixture becomes thicker, you may cut some extra fruit bits to add into the pot, then add a decent amount of caster sugar depending on your taste (others like it sweeter and others don’t). The whole process is roughly two to three hours.

Shortly before the marmalade is done, you may heat the glass container (one you would use to store your marmalade) for around 5 minutes in the oven at 375ºF or let it soak in very hot water for a few minutes to sterilise. Fill in the piping hot marmalade into the glass container (you may add liquors as an extra mix for a bit of a twist) then immediately shut tightly to achieve a vacuum seal. If the process is done well, you can store your marmalade for up to four to five years in a dark room (this has been personally proven and tested).

Since homemade marmalades have no added preservatives, once the seal is broken, remember that they have to be consumed within days or a few weeks at most. Bear in mind that although the commercialized ones from the grocery last slightly longer, they don’t taste as good and as fresh as the homemade ones. So, you might as well try and make it the good “old fashioned” way!