Apparently great minds think alike. Yesterday morning I made a big batch of tangerine marmalade, as, apparently, did the folks at Put Up or Shut Up! The ingredients are pretty similar (there are only so many ways to combine tangerines and sugar), but there’s still plenty of variety in the technique. Pros of their version: the use of a microwave speeds things up. Pros of my version: none of this pesky “peeling” business. That’s right: I use rind, pith, and all. I hereby guiltily confess that in all the time I’ve made marmalade, or any preserve involving a whole lemon, it’s never occurred to me to actually peel the thing. I suppose if you were using something very pithy, like a naval orange or a grapefruit, it would be a good idea—but with tangerines, no problem.
This tastes like pure sunshine. A great gift, obviously. The serving suggestions are endless, too: bake in on a ham, put it on bruschetta, or, if you’re feeling fancy, serve it in mugs with clotted cream for afternoon tea.
Tangerine Marmalade
3 pounds tangerines
2 small lemons
1 1/2 c. water
4 1/2 c. sugar
1) Chop the tangerines, peel and all. I do this by hand, so as to remove the seeds. If you’re using a seedless variety, then by all means use the food processor. Repeat with the lemons.
2) Combine the tangerines, the lemons, and the water in a pot. Bring rapidly to a boil; simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit 12 to 18 hours.
3) Add the sugar (or more, if you like a sweeter marmalade) and bring rapidly to a boil. Meanwhile, start heating up your boiling water bath in a separate pot. Stir constantly while bringing the mixture almost to the gelling point.
4) Transfer to clean, sterilized jars and screw on two-piece lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
No pectin? And what is the purposed of letting it sit for 12-18 hours?
When I made marmalade last month (from oranges), I just used the rind and the sections – I removed both the pith and the membranes.
this looks delicious and the photo is gorgeous!
Thanks again for the tip on my clementine marmalade post! I sure saw this when you posted it; looks gorgeous! How can you not adore tangerine marmalade? I also saw Put Up or Shut Up’s microwave version, and wanted to give it a whirl. Might have to buy more tangerines…
Now *this* is a marmalade recipe that I can get behind – no peeling! Using the natural pectin in the citrus to bring the marmalade to a great consistency, and keeping the prep simple. You gotta love a recipe that instructs ‘do xyz, and then let it sit for 18 hours.’ This is why I macerate (or freeze) berries to jam later; this is why mustard-making is so attractive (‘measure mustard seeds into wine and vinegar, cover and let sit for 48 hours’ is the first step.)
I have a new stash of blood oranges and was wondering if I could do a peels-and-all marmalade with them…based on this, I think so. It’s sure worth the experiment…thanks for the wonderful inspiration!
Perhaps, I glanced over it, but what was the final yield for 3 lb tangerines?
Sorry about that! 6 half-pints.
this is a fantastic recipe ‘ easy, no waste, no peeling
i have made so many jars to give to family and friends,
they just love it..thank you so much..I cut it in half’,use a fork to remove the seeds, slice in the food processor and boil just as the recipe calls for. the taste of all the tangerine is perfect. not too sweet, but just right’
I have never made jam before so my questions are pretty basic. How thin do you slice the tangerines? What is the hot water bath? At what sort of store does one get preserve jars?
Thank you.
Dede
Dede,
You should slice the tangerines about 1/4″ thick. You can buy canning jars at hardware stores and rural grocery stores in the summertime. As for a boiling water bath, that’s just a big pot of boiling water that’s big enough to submerge your jars! If you’re new to canning, you might want to read through the helpful instructions at the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Good luck!
You can get preserve jars at Walmart; kitchen section I believe, or was it candy making near crafts? Ask them… cheap and attractive shapes too.
The looks so delicious, wooww I feel hungry when I see it. This is it, I’m looking for easy to prepare and easy to apply. I love this marmalade. Now I know what to prepare for incoming Christmas vacation. Thanks to this site. More recipe soon to be seen.
Can you boil the filled jars in the dishwasher? I live in a very small apartment and don’t have a big stock pot.
Stacy: No. A dishwasher does not get hot enough to sterilize jars. But rest assured that you don’t need a giant canning pot–any pot large enough to cover your jars by a couple of inches is fine. If you’re using half-pint or quarter-pint jars, you can probably get away with a small stockpot. Good luck!
@Stacy…just be sure to put something in the bottom of the pot (like one of those little expandable metal steamers)or the jars may “bump” on the bottom and break…you can do it!!
DeDe and Stacy, you want to get a jar lifter. So you can put the jars into the water and remove them without getting burned.
when you let the tangerine marmalade sit for 12-18 hr.’s do you refrigerate it?
Jill: No, I don’t refrigerate it, based on what I’ve seen in other recipes. If you’re worried and have the space, though, I don’t think it would hurt anything to refrigerate it.
Made this recipe over the weekend using the surplus tangerines from my tree. This was very easy, and came out yummy. (I’m not an advanced canner)Thank you, I will be sharing this recipe often.
Can this be made with Stevia &/or Splenda for people like me that have diabetis?
Deborah: Yes and no. It’s definitely safe to make a jam/fruit preserve with stevia, splenda, agave, or any other kinds of sweetener. But be aware of three things. First, you may not get a good set. Second, you’ll have to play around with the amount of sweetener to get the level of sweetness you desire. Third, some people find that canned goods made with substitute sweeteners have an off-flavor.
You might try working with low-sugar pectin, or starting with a recipe for a reduced sugar marmalade in a diabetic cookbook.
This is a fabulous recipe and a perfect answer to my abundance of tangerines. My tangerine tree and a HUGE crop this year. One recipe that I make (and have made this year) is a baked version of French toast with my tangerine marmalade in the bottom of the casserole dish. Spoon the marmalade into the bottom of your casserole about 1/4″ thick. I make my own bread so I can slice it thick. I am certain that a good, unsliced bread can be bought at your local bakery. Make a rich egg and milk mixture, along with some sugar and cinnamon, to soak the bread within. Place a single layer in your casserole dish on top of the marmalade. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. The oven baked, marmalade French toast can be sliced and served with a spatula. Flip the slices over while serving, so the tangerine marmalade is on the top of each piece. It is crowd pleaser! Thanks for the marmalade recipe!
I’m trying this recipe right now; can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Is it really necessary to sterilize the jars? I’ve been making marmalade for many years, and I figure that since the marmalade is almost boiling hot when it goes into the jars, that should do the job. At least, I’ve never had any go bad in the jar.
Oh, for those who ask, you can get canning supplies at any Orchard Supply or better supermarket. I’d bet many hardware stores carry them.
Finally, I’m pretty sure the sugar is required; I think it’s part of the chemical reaction that causes the pectin to set.
Ed: I hope your jam turned out beautifully! With the growing popularity of canning, it’s finally become easier to locate canning jars in mainstream supermarkets–but urban residents may still need to stock up in the summer.
As for the sugar, here’s the deal. If you want a set, yes, you need sugar. And if you want the marmalade to stay free of mold for months in your fridge after you open it, yes, you need sugar. But if you merely want a citrus fruit spread, you’re not concerned about consistency, and you plan to eat it within a week or so of opening the jar, feel free to dial the sugar, way, way, back. It’s not a safety issue.
Hi there- I was looking at other recipes and they were pretty consistantly saying that the marmalade needed to get to 220 degrees on a candy thermometer in order to gel properly. I followed this recipe, and watched the temp. It failed miserabley- it took a lllloooonnnngggg time to get past 217, and then it burned. While it made tangerine flavored caramel (or something brown and gooey), in the garbage it went! Does this recipe need to get to 220? About how long (estimated) does it take to get to the gelling point? I think I was almost there when it burned on me…but it took about 35 mins. Is that about right? Thanks!
Julie: Ah, the quest for the perfect gelling point. Most references do say 220F, but I find that to be too high for my taste–the resulting product seems more like glue, and less like jam. Lately I’ve been going for somewhere around 215-218. Sometimes the set is a bit loose, but personally I’d rather have something closer to preserves than to spackle.
So, what should you do instead? First, double-check that your thermometer is calibrated correctly. It should read very close to 212F in rapidly boiling water. Once you’re sure that the thermometer’s correct, experiment with other methods of testing for a gel. The most common methods are the “plate in the freezer” test and the “sheeting from a metal spoon” test. Kate from Hip Girl’s Guide swears that the texture of the bubbles change, too, but I don’t quite know how to explain that one.
I just want to say THANK YOU !! Not only was this recipe easy, it also made a Beautiful Jelly !! I made up a batch for Christmas gifts, and it was so popular I had to make more! Everyone who has tasted this marmalade has requested that I sell it in my farm stand, and at the farmer’s markets. (Too much like work to me) If you are new, or experienced i highly recommend this recipe.
Can I freese this recipe in freezor containers instead of jars? thanks
Hi Doris & Jilly, I have canned off and on for years. Everything from tomatoes to fresh ocean tuna. Everything works. I will be picking an abundance of tangerines tomorrow and will be trying your no peel recipe. I am excited! I live in So. Cal. so have access to fresh fruit year round. My fig and plum jam is only half gone and the trees are in bloom again. I made fabric tops and gave fig, plum and applesauce as gifts this year. I ask for the jars back from family and friends and they save them in hopes of a refill haha.
Regarding jars, all our local grocery stores carry them year round. They are usually next to the firewood, another seasonal item. Also, I reuse jars that are from other foods. If they have the white plastic lining in the lid, I run them thru the dishwasher and then treat them to a hot water bath before filling. The only thing I can say is that if you use a strong flavored pickle jar, it might add odor to your jam. Save the pickle jars for something else like chutney. But just about every shape jar works and they seal because of the white plastic lining in the lid.
Thanks for the recipe! DL
I have a big tangerine tree and we had so much fruit this year that I decided that try canning. I am a lawyer in Pasadena, CA and I don’t do anything like this at all but your article sounded great and pretty straight forward. I went to the local store and bought my jars excitedly. The counter lady goaded me into buy pectin (but I never used it). I just followed your recipe and it turned out pretty good. I made a unholy mess in the kitchen and my wife gave me the stink eye but hopefully these turned out pretty good. I am proud that they turned out looking pretty at least. Nice and orange. The sugar I used was the Trader Joes raw sugar which is almost brown (light light brown) and it gave the tangerines a darker patina but it looked nice. I just wasn’t sure how long to keep the mixture at a high heat after adding sugar so I took it to the boil and then took it down to a simmer while I canned it. I think it worked out pretty well. Thanks ladies! Jeff
Thank you for the easy and delicious recepie! We have a tangerine tree in our backyard that produced fruit for the first time. My kids helped me prepare the fruit by taking out the seeds. I have NEVER done any type of canning before. I was surprised how well the finished product turned out. I am now thinking about trying out different types of jams and jelly. Thanks Again
I would like to substitute honey for the sugar. Would it be a one-to-one substitution? Honey will allow more people to make a 100% local product.
This worked well for me, thank you for posting it. One thing I was unclear about was the length of the boiling/gelling stage after the sugar was added. It took about an hour (for me) for anyone else who might be curious. I will be using this recipe again!
Chris,
An hour sounds like a really long time. I don’t usually list gel point boiling times, because it’s somewhat variable, but you should usually get there within about 20 to 30 minutes. If you cook it much more than that, you won’t have much flavor. I’m curious: what was the resulting texture after cooking for an hour? And how were you estimating the gel point?
Caroline,
It’s a little hard to say. Sugar substitutes are not usually 1 to 1. Using that much honey would most likely result in a product that takes mostly like honey, not like fruit. If you’re interested in going purely local, you might want to consider exploring recipes developed explicitly for low-sugar for better flavor.
I was using the cold spoon method and wasn’t getting the consistency that I wanted. My volume was slightly higher than the recipe, but not considerably. The consistency ended up perfect for me… just like a marmalade should be. I did use 4 cups of sugar and half a cup of honey, so maybe it was a combination of the variables, or just the consistency that I was aiming for. Either way I’m very happy with the outcome, the final product is delicious! No flavour lost as far as I can tell. I am also using some of the tastiest and freshest tangerines in the world (freshly picked the day before on Jeju Island in South Korea.)
I made this recipe yesterday, with 5 pounds of tangerines. I also used less sugar proportionately – about 5 1/2 cups for the 5 pounds, vs your recommendation of 4 1/2 cups for 3 pounds. It did not gel. What did I do wrong? Should I have added pectin to compensate for the lower propotion of sugar? If so, can you advise on how much?
Tastes great, by the way. Just runny.
You didn’t specify what exactly you do with the lemons. Do you slice them whole (and unpeeled) just like the tangerines?
Thanks for this awesome recipe! Going to try it this weekend!
Oh and one more thing; any idea how long this keeps unopened? Does it need to be refrigerated (even though it’s canned)?
I just made this, exactly as directed, but i added two tablspoons of bourbon right at the end:) ITS DELICIOUS and came out perfect.
TARA, slice the lemon like the tangerine, it will keep for a long while in the fridge, the trick is to use a clean knife or a spoon each time you use it, or it will go fuzzy
I am a newbie canner/jam maker but I have a grand crop of tangerines and am determined to make good use of them. I know that the fruit to sugar ratio is important, so I weighed my fruit prior to processing and got 3.3 lbs. After the food processor I have what looks like close to twelve cups of fruit. In here it states that I should yield about 6 half pints. Should I split it or does it cook down????
So… Don’t laugh! I have never really eaten marmalade & I am a complete novice at canning. & this recipe sounded too good to pass up. I followed it to the “T” & it came out runny. I just made it this morning, so the cans are still cooling. Is it supposed to be even slightly runny? I made one batch of orange marmalade from the ball blue canning book & the stuff looked more like stiff jello than any marmalade I’ve ever seen. Which was my fault, I cooked it too long. Lol. But I was thinking that maybe I didn’t cook the tangerines long enough to release enough pectin. Any insite or wisdom for a novice canner?
Has anyone tried to substitute the two lemons for lemon juice..? I’m too lazy to go to the store, lol
OK, I am trying this recipe; however, I ran into a few snags along the way, outcome of marmalade is still unknown. First of all, I doubled the recipe, so hopefully that’s ok, then, after I had already sliced all my fruit, I realized that my parents still have my large stock pot, and I only have a smaller one, which not all the double batch fits into, so I added the water and sugar (oops, I wasn’t supposed to add that just yet!) and it sat, covered overnight until this morning when I got a second pot from my sister. So then I (as evenly as I could) split the mixture into two pots, boiled for the 5 minutes and then recombined into one pot, and covered. They are now sitting for the 10 hours, and then I will attempt to boil them to the gelling point, but I have no idea if it will turn out with so many mishaps…If not I’m just going to go buy pectin and add some to it and cook it till it gels, lol. Will let everyone know what the outcome is, in case anyone else goofs as bad as me!
Update to my above comment:
After sitting for another 20ish hours, I split the mix into two parts again, and cooked for about 15 minutes until I was sure it would all fit into one pot, then I recombined it all and cooked it until it started jelling, which was about another 5-7 minutes. After letting it cool a little, it’s jelled up quite nicely! It tastes pretty darn good! Verrrry bitter aftertaste though….but I guess that’s the nature of marmalade? Iv’e never had home made marmalade, so I don’t really know.
Admittedly, first time marmalader. But I chose this recipe for simplicity. I tripled the recipe, thinking economies of scale, since I was going to do the work, just make more marmalade cheer! There is a bit of an after taste from the rinds which makes me lean toward using less rind in the future. But the biggest disappointment, was teh failure to gel. I boiled for almost an hour and now cooled in the fridge, the marmalade is still a bit fluid. People do enjoy the flavor, but it didn’t gel properly. I added the juice that ran from the fruits as I sliced them, was that a mistake? Or is it likely that some fruits contain more juice than others and it impacts the recipe?
Greg, & Tara –
Jam and marmalade is sensitive to the size of the batch; you can’t just double or triple the recipe and make it in the same sized pots; you’ll get exactly what Greg got, a failure to gel. I’ve never heard exactly why… Something about the depth of the jam in the pot maybe?
If you double the recipe, just cook it in batches.
Whoops, I commented as Greg; that last comment wasn’t Greg responding to himself!
I just put my first batch on the back of the stove to sit for 18 hours….I’m so excited! I LOVE MARMALADE!