Succulent Seville Marmalade – from Jacarandell Farm to Table

abbybrandell
Jul 4, 2020
3 min read

“Gran-Gran” who lived here in the fifties, sixties and seventies, planted some very special trees in our garden, and we are forever grateful for this legacy. The most spectacular has to be the exotic Tipuana Tipu (Brazilian Rosewood) planted at the end of our lawn, it’s myriad of branches forming the most stunning canopy against the backdrop of the Umguza River beyond.

It was planted about thirty metres away from the centuries old Vachellia Erioloba (Camel Thorn Tree) but now their branches magically touch. They form the route which the monkeys take to steal my carrots (see my last blog on spicy carrot cake).

Another lovely, enduring tree which Gran-Gran planted is the Seville orange next to the veggie garden. Much smaller of course compared to the gigantic Tipuana, but much loved.

Gran–Gran’s Seville Orange Tree, 60 years old

It’s a family tradition to make Seville Orange Marmalade every winter. The tree is still producing copious quantities of this tangy citrus year in, year out. No matter what size the oranges grow to, and believe me, they vary – depending on how good or bad the rainy season has been – they are always perfect for producing marmalade, which all our families love.

Stunning Sevilles

Seville Oranges, which originated in Spain, coupled with the English tradition of toast and marmalade at breakfast … and here we are in Africa. The perfect storm for the best marmalade? My Dad loved his toast and marmalade at breakfast, and it was always made from Sevilles. He also seemed to have this treat after other meals – lunch or supper. We always laughed about this – I think he was actually addicted to it.

We picked 20 Seville oranges yesterday. Hours later, we had squeezed juice, scraped out the pith and pips, and cut the orange peel into tiny slithers. I then weighed the whole lot, and it was 2.35 times the actual recipe required for 4.5kgs marmalade. I have just made 18 jars of lovely marmalade, 2 of which are double size.

Once the mixture is bubbling away, the citrusy, sweet-sour fragrance fills the whole house and wafts out into the garden – it’s a special scent of clear Zimbabwean winter days. A bonus of this process is I actually get to find out how many jars I have in the store room and which lids belong to which jar. I then clean and sterilize them, a miracle in itself after their months of dark and dingy dormancy.

Seville Marmalade ready to decant into jars

The joy of the marmalade actually setting is real – after many hours of scraping pith, cutting rind, juicing, boiling and stirring, and finally adding the sugar for the fast boil – it’s sweetly satisfying to see that crease of the marmalade on the saucer and know that yes, it has set!

This is the recipe I use for SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE.

1.4 kg Seville oranges

Juice of 2 lemons

3.4 litres water

2.7 kg white sugar

Halve oranges, and squeeze out juice. Scrape out membrane and pips, and place in a muslin bag. I use mutton cloth, tied up with string.

Cut the orange rind into thin slivers and place all ingredients (except sugar) into a large pot or preserving pan.

Bring to boil and simmer for 2 hours until peel is soft and liquid reduced by half.

Add sugar and simmer until dissolved. Boil mixture rapidly for at least 15 minutes. This is where I find that 15 minutes can become at least 30! Test for a set (place a small blob onto a clean saucer, cool and push with your finger – if it “creases” it is set.)

Remove scum, stir and cool for 15-20 minutes, pour into sterilized jars, and seal.

The colour I like is somewhere between honey and terracotta – a beautiful “golden hour” colour.

Just bottled: Seville Orange Marmalade – the perfect honey/terracotta colour

I use my favourite Sibanda large wooden spoon to stir this fabulous mix of citrus, water and sugar.

It’s not as daunting as it seems. When I made my first batch nearly three decades ago, I couldn’t actually believe that I was grown up or competent enough to make marmalade. I was relieved therefore, that the process was really not that difficult – just very satisfying. Try it, you’ll be happy as the day is long.