I’m a marmalade lover, and make orange marmalade regularly every winter; but this year I harvested the first significant fruit from my hardy orange tree (Citrus trifoliata syn. Poncirus trifoliata) and it’s hard for gardeners and cooks to pass up an opportunity to experiment. So, even though I have about ten pounds of last year’s strawberries washed, prepared and deep frozen and waiting for jam jars and about two hours of my time (tough to admit), I instead gave those two hours to the pursuit of Poncirus marmalade.
The result: pretty good just as long as the peel is not involved. It’s just too bitter to be palatable. And just in case you think I’m being a baby about it (because I’d be suspicious if I were you), there are instructions for trying it yourself on my website – with and without peel. And growing instructions if you feel like adding Citrus trifoliata to the garden.
In future batches, I’ll add a little bit of orange peel just to give it more of the texture that I love.
Gardeners are naturally curious, and naturally frugal. And though I can’t recommend the taste of Poncirus marmalade over a big batch of traditional, peel-rich, sunshine-in-a-jar orange marmalade — what I can recommend is the ability to use pantry sugar and pantry pectin (and I probably could have skipped the latter as there is so much pectin in citrus), and ending up with twelve jars of a tangy, sweet spread for toast that would probably cost me $10 apiece – if I could even get hold of such a novelty. My marmalade-hating husband loved it (but that’s mostly because he hates the entire point of marmalade – the peel).
But will I ever taste my own homemade marmalade again, knowing that I can make a pretty good substitute from my own fruit? Making do with what you have can be addicting – especially when costs are getting higher at the grocery store. I’d hate to think of Florida oranges as a luxury; but they certainly used to be. And I can almost guarantee that I won’t be willing to pay the price for true bitter Seville oranges (which make the the world’s best marmalade) while there are luxuries like milk and gasoline to be afforded.
Will I be able to pick the fruits next October (they are notorious self-seeders when they hit the ground), and simply set them in a bowl to perfume the house for a few weeks of autumn? Perhaps.
Whether or not I continue to make preserves from the pulp, or cocktails from the juice of my hardy oranges, I’m fairly certain I will always grow this gorgeous deciduous specimen. My tree is a seedling of the cultivar ‘Flying Dragon’ and the look of it in the winter garden is hard to beat – rigid green stems twisted and thorny and exquisite when coated in ice. And it’s not just gorgeous naked — fragrant white flowers in the spring, soft green fruits in the summer, and yellow leaves in the fall, make it a four season wonder.
Just don’t get a vine within ten feet of it or you’ll bleed to death attempting to perform a conscious uncoupling. -MW
Lady Marmalade (tip of the hat to Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Maya & Pink):
I see your Citrus trifoliata, and raise you an Osage Orange https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/osage-orange-tree-zmaz85zsie/ . You can’t make a jellly from it. Its fruit, however,does out-ugly your oranges.
Reminds me of what the little chick said when she saw her hen mama sitting on an orange:
“Look at the orange Marma laid!”
I’ll show myself out.
Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya
John, you have reminded me to walk up the road and bring a bag with me. I often scavenge Osage oranges in the autumn to put in the house because I find them so fascinating, free and fragrant! When I put the Poncirus in a bowl in the kitchen to wait for me for a day, the scent that filled the room was very similar. BTW I used Lady Marmalade to create a Reel for this post on GardenRant’s feed for Instagram – which is the other reason I need to walk up the road: so that I can actually upload it. At the top of the hill the fancy people have reliable, fast, and extremely addicting internet access. I’d wallow in bitterness (like my Poncirus) but in the end, lack of a good connection keeps me from getting too distracted. – MW
Um John, if you’re going to use the “gitchie, gitchie Yaya” line, please at least give credit where it’s due.
The original (pop) version of “Lady Marmalade” was sung and introduced to US popular culture by the all-female group of black singers known as “LaBelle” in 1974.
Had no idea you were so young – crediting “Pink”, seriously!?
“Laissez-les bon temps roulez,” non?
Make lots of jam, and only from stuff I grow or get for free or pick myself. My frugalness will not let me.buy it already picked. So no orange marmalade , too far north. Feel ashamed because I use store pectin. Maybe I’ll try next year to make some the real way.
Maybe some good Samaritan in a warm climate could send you oranges. Making marmalade, with or without the added pectin, is a treat. And an exercise.
I got a little of that pectin-guilt from my mother, but I’m over it at this point as preserves with pectin are usually much brighter in color, and fruit less over-cooked. That said, I’m very glad that if I can’t buy pectin or don’t want to, due to cost, it’s perfectly possible to make many preserves without, or add other high-pectin fruits to help them gel. Good to have the skills so you can be ‘lazy’ if you want to be. Guilt-free zone! – MW
Your poncirus sounds a lot like my yuzu. But I totally add the peel.
But one thing … 1/2″ headspace? For soft spreads like jam, jelly, marmalade you only need 1/4″. More space leaves too much air in the jar.
Hi Laura – thanks for catching that. Corrected! – MW
I find grapefruit marmalade to be a splendidly tart/bitter sub for Seville oranges – plentiful and affordable in season. And I completely understand the gardener’s inclination to experiment and forage. Last month I spent the better part of a day picking, stemming, and juicing aronia berries from my shrub in the front garden. I think I enjoyed a spritzer or two, but recently chucked 2 quarts of juice down the drain. Perhaps I should have made jelly.
Oh boy I sympathize with that – did something similar with my ornamental Bonfire peach for jam last year. Went to the trouble of picking, peeling, chopping etc… then all hell broke loose in some other place in a summer life and the peaches got forgotten in their bowl. I almost wept as the brown bubbling mass went out to the chickens…. And thanks for the tip on grapefruit marmalade – never occurred to me. – MW
Hi Marianne, re: grapefruit marmalade, it is hugely popular in Greece. We grew up eating it, along with “spoon sweets” (glyka) from the island of Chios, as children on Long Island.
If you want an authentic, flavorful recipe, please check out the wonderful website, http://www.greekboston.com
My mother spent hours grating the rinds and always said, the more rind, the better.
Oh, and quince jam from homegrown quince (kithoni) fruits from a neighbor’s fertile shrub. Gorgeous deep coral-pink blossoms in Spring, then wonderful kithoni fruit in Fall.
Warning: nasty thorns!
My daughter and I both have Damson plum trees, which bore abundantly last year. We picked our crops in the fall and she came to our house to make jam. Lots of it. Only one problem … we ran out of jar lids and all the places we checked were sold out of lids. Ended up having to buy another box of jars (which came with lids!).
Apparently also
Can be used to treat haemorrhoids, conjunctivitis, colds and constipation.
Can be used as a laxative and diuretic.
The thorns are used to treat toothache.
Can be used to treat allergic inflammation.
The whole point of marmalade though is big thick bits of bitter peel.
I agree Anne. It’s all about the peel. – MW
Anne….what in the heck are you supposed to do with the thorns, to help with toothaches? I’m envisioning sticking the thorn INTO THE CAVITY! Horrors!
After sticking the thorns in your mouth you’ll have much bigger problems than the original toothache. Problem solved!
Yes, I knew that LaBelle did the original But I didn’t think anyone (other than you) would know shat I was talking about.
P.S. Queen Latifah did the narration of the cover.