Grapefruit Cranberry Marmalade

A few weeks ago, I participated in a virtual jam swap hosted by Under the High Chair. A lot of wonderful jams were entered in the swap and after the swap was over, I decided to try some of them. I made and posted about Flavorista’s Apple Pie Jam a few days ago. Another jam that I just had to try was the Grapefruit Cranberry Marmalade submitted by KitchenSimplicity. It is a beautiful and festive jam that I thought would make a great gift for the Holidays. I decided to add it to my jam repertoire. My supply of jams seems to be ever growing so I need to start giving some away.

This jam is beautiful; however, I thought it was a little bit too tart maybe even a little bitter. I decided my version needed to be toned down some. I think the problem was too much rind. It seemed to overpower the rest of the flavors. If I make this marmalade again, I will only use the rinds from 2 grapefruits rather than 4. I had already cooked them into the marmalade this time so, it was either throw the whole batch out or try to salvage it. I opted to salvage it if possible. I added some crushed pineapple, more water and cranberries and a bit more sugar. I liked the revised version better. I guess my taste buds prefer sweet over tart.

Makes approx: 5 cups (my revised version makes about 8 1/2 cups)

4 large grapefruit (about 4 pounds)
1.5 cups water
2.5 cups cranberries
3 cups sugar

Carefully remove the rind of each grapefruit with a vegetable peeler or pairing knife, being careful to avoid the white pith. As I mentioned, I would recommend only using the rind from 2 grapefruits. Slice the rind into thin strips. Place in a large saucepan.

Peel and section the grapefruit: Listed below are the instructions from the recipe. I didn’t do it that way but thought you might like to see the method that KitchenSimplicity used.Slice off a piece of both the top and bottom of each grapefruit until the fruit is visible. Place on a cutting board. Starting at the top and following the curve of the fruit, cut away the remaining pith until only the flesh and membrane are left. Holding the fruit on it’s side, slide a pairing knife between one section of fruit and the membrane that is holding it there, loosening it’s hold. Cut alongside the opposite side of the fruit to loosen it from the membrane on the opposite side. Continue all the way along the grapefruit.

All I did was cut the grapefruit in half and use a paring knife to remove the fruit section by section. I had already removed the rind so after I removed the fruit, I just chunked the pith and membrane.

Place the grapefruit sections into the saucepan and discard the empty membrane. Add 1.5 cups water to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 min, stirring occasionally.

Stir in cranberries and simmer for another 10 min.

Add sugar and simmer for 30 min until slightly thickened. Continuing to stir occasionally.

It was at this point that I realized I didn’t like the flavor so I mixed together a can of crushed pineapple, a couple of cups of water, another cup of cranberries and about a cup and a half of sugar and cooked it until the cranberries were soft. Then, I added this mixture to the rest of the batch and cooked it until it thickened a bit.

Remove from heat and allow to cool 10 min. If you don’t want to can this marmalade for shelf storage, just pour into jars or plastic containers and allow to cool for another 20 min before putting on lids. Let sit on counter until room temperature. Store in the fridge or freezer. It will keep for 3 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.

I decided to can this marmalade for shelf storage so I placed it in sterilized jars and processed the jars in the water bath for 15 minutes. For detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions on the National Center for Home Preservation

Here is the marmalade ready to be given as a festive gift. You might want to save some for yourself to go with all that wonderful bread you’ve been making. I know I am.

Happy Canning & Baking!
Cathy

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures. You might enjoy them as well:

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs
Canning Across America
Well Preserved
National Center for Home Preservation

Comments

Cristie says

December 13, 2009 at 7:05 pm

Love giving home goods to neighbors as gifts. This year I’m giving some home canned apple pie filling. Love your marmalade!

Cathy (breadexperience) says

December 13, 2009 at 8:41 pm

Mmmmm….home canned apple pie filling sounds delicious! I made some apple pie jam that can also be used as filling. Yummy!

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