Cannot begin to say how pleased I am that you are back - I was a great fan of the Wednesday Chef. I have moved and do not really “cook” like I used to- but I know I would have tried the marmalade.
Wait wait wait wait.. American here! Are you SURE, TOTALLY SURE that these don't need to be water bathed? I've never seen a jam recipe that doesn't get stored in the freezer that allows you to skip the water bath.
ALSO I am SO glad you're doing a newsletter!! Reading this was like having a warm conversation with an old friend I haven't talked to in a long time. 🙏🏻
Yes, I am sure and that's why I specifically reiterated it in the note. Water baths are for preserving produce and some types of pickles. For example: Canned tomatoes? Water bath! Dill pickles? Water bath! Raspberry jam? No water bath. Marmalades and jams made with at least 50% sugar do not need water baths, ever. An entire continent and many generations of jam-makers will tell you the same.
i never water bath can any jam. inversion method is the way. the ball blue book has been revised to be pigheadedly overcautious, just as raw milk is illegal to purchase in a lot of states.
I can confirm that this method Luisa describes is totally safe. For inversion just be sure to use clean jars and make sure the jam/marmalade stays above 90C/195F while you are filling the jars. If you want a book to read about this method and exactly why it is safe and works I recommend the book Jam Bake by master preserver Camilla Wynne. Water bath canning is not necessary for jams or marmalades but the USDA applies the same rules to all preserved food. The rest of the world does not water bath jams and marmalades; it's a USDA thing.
Wonderful writing Luisa. You have piqued my interest in trying to find Seville oranges....I have done the German method of turning the hot jar of jam upside down (with lid on!) to cool when making preserves in Berlin. It worked great and I was able to enjoy the sweet cache throughout the year with no trace of mold. Willing to try again. Would the water bath hurt though marmalade though?
This was a bittersweet read. Every year my non- cooking Dad eagerly looked for the Seville oranges in the shops so he could make his beloved marmelade. Every year there was always something that he would improve the next year- although we all thought it was delicious whatever fault he found.
This year there will be no marmelade as Covid took him. Enjoy the simple pleasures.
Beautiful! And yes, that soaking and slicing and seeding you do with any marmalade is surprisingly meditative - though I tend to be over it by the time I've seeded and sliced a kg of cumquats! Also adding (Australian here) that I've never heard of waterbathing preserves (jam/marmalade/chutney) except in the US. I don't even flip the jars, just use ones with those nice little buttons so I can sit down with a cup of tea after making a batch to the sounds of all the jars making that cute popping sound :)
Dear Luisa, what a delightful newsletter! Thank you so much! I fully understand what you mean about the zen flow of jam making. I am from Brazil, and here we have a deliciously bitterish fruit, which is part berry, part grape and total delectability. Its name is jabuticaba, and I love making marmalade out of it. I am on the less sugar, more zing camp as well.
I’ve been following you for years, discovered “My Berlin Kitchen” when I was living in India, years ago. I was going through a hard period, and that book kept me going. It was such an inspiration. Now your newsletters bring me comfort amidst this crazy pandemic. I love your writing, can’t wait for your fiction!
Beautiful writing - I can practically see your typical apartment house in Berlin. Haven’t been there since 2010 when visiting my Nephew and his family.
Living in the USA since 1979. I have never been able to find the Seville oranges over here but made plenty of other jams and marmalade’s with local seasonal fruits. My favorite always have been the late season peaches. Have you ever made peach jam adding three or four 7” long branches with leaves from a peach tree after you removed the set liquid from the stove top? Let them seep for a couple of minutes than remove them. They add an almond taste/aroma to the jam that is breathtaking.
I always placed my filled jars in the oven at 100 C for 30 minutes - removed them and listened to the pop what the cooling contents pulled the lids center down.
Unfortunately I had to stop this hobby when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Now I only stick to cheese making and bread baking.
My husband makes marmalade from the candied fruit that is leftover from the Christmas fruitcake he makes every year. His brother lives in Berlin in a building similar to where you live and your description brought back fond memories of when we visited Christmas 2016, a beautiful city!
Loved reading about your apartment and joy of making this marmalade. Children love an unstructured playplace. Not sure if Seville oranges are in Aust, blood oranges make a brief appearance but are a luxury purchase. Navel and Valencia grown.
Great memories of staying in an apartment above a home in Sicily with a garden full of lemons and oranges. Fresh marmalade and homemade bread for breakfast.
Luisa you have saved my life and my poor old hands. I have been making marmalade for ever but never like this, and am 68. Thank you so much for your blog which arrived in my inbox the week a friend found Sevilles in our local supermarket. I'm half way through the recipe and am sure it'll be delicious.
Luisa, thank you for sharing your writing in this new form. I’ve missed your unique voice and have loved reading these longer pieces! (I hope you’ll share book recommendations and/or updates on your novel here as well. :)) I recently picked up a jar of homemade marmalade at an outdoor winter market here in my (US) city, and have enjoyed imagining how the delicious result was created.
Hello! Thanks for the recipe! I did a half batch yesterday and it was really easy to follow even for someone with zero experience in jam making. I just found the jam has less peels than I'm used to. Maybe I scooped too much. I will look for more oranges to try again !!
Anyway! Hi Luisa, I absolutely reading your letter and imagined your apartment and the courtyard and you in your cosy kitchen. I will definitely try your recipe, thank YOU. I am fortunate to every year have a huge yield of oranges from one tree in my Darling Parents Garden. Dad for years was the marmalade creator and after his passing eight years ago,Mum has lovingly taken over. She will be very interested in your version Luisa. I’m from Melbourne, Australia; my parents were born in Asiago, Veneto region of Italy. I visited Berlin two years ago and enjoyed it so much. I look forward to your future letters. Xxx
This was delicious to read. Going on the hunt for Seville oranges later today, thank you.
Cannot begin to say how pleased I am that you are back - I was a great fan of the Wednesday Chef. I have moved and do not really “cook” like I used to- but I know I would have tried the marmalade.
I sure am also happy to hear and read from you again. Please don,t leave us again.
Wait wait wait wait.. American here! Are you SURE, TOTALLY SURE that these don't need to be water bathed? I've never seen a jam recipe that doesn't get stored in the freezer that allows you to skip the water bath.
ALSO I am SO glad you're doing a newsletter!! Reading this was like having a warm conversation with an old friend I haven't talked to in a long time. 🙏🏻
Yes, I am sure and that's why I specifically reiterated it in the note. Water baths are for preserving produce and some types of pickles. For example: Canned tomatoes? Water bath! Dill pickles? Water bath! Raspberry jam? No water bath. Marmalades and jams made with at least 50% sugar do not need water baths, ever. An entire continent and many generations of jam-makers will tell you the same.
i never water bath can any jam. inversion method is the way. the ball blue book has been revised to be pigheadedly overcautious, just as raw milk is illegal to purchase in a lot of states.
I can confirm that this method Luisa describes is totally safe. For inversion just be sure to use clean jars and make sure the jam/marmalade stays above 90C/195F while you are filling the jars. If you want a book to read about this method and exactly why it is safe and works I recommend the book Jam Bake by master preserver Camilla Wynne. Water bath canning is not necessary for jams or marmalades but the USDA applies the same rules to all preserved food. The rest of the world does not water bath jams and marmalades; it's a USDA thing.
Wonderful writing Luisa. You have piqued my interest in trying to find Seville oranges....I have done the German method of turning the hot jar of jam upside down (with lid on!) to cool when making preserves in Berlin. It worked great and I was able to enjoy the sweet cache throughout the year with no trace of mold. Willing to try again. Would the water bath hurt though marmalade though?
This was a bittersweet read. Every year my non- cooking Dad eagerly looked for the Seville oranges in the shops so he could make his beloved marmelade. Every year there was always something that he would improve the next year- although we all thought it was delicious whatever fault he found.
This year there will be no marmelade as Covid took him. Enjoy the simple pleasures.
"It’s not the first time the fantasy of who I’d like to be has run up against the reality of who I am."
Every. damn. day.
Beautiful! And yes, that soaking and slicing and seeding you do with any marmalade is surprisingly meditative - though I tend to be over it by the time I've seeded and sliced a kg of cumquats! Also adding (Australian here) that I've never heard of waterbathing preserves (jam/marmalade/chutney) except in the US. I don't even flip the jars, just use ones with those nice little buttons so I can sit down with a cup of tea after making a batch to the sounds of all the jars making that cute popping sound :)
Dear Luisa, what a delightful newsletter! Thank you so much! I fully understand what you mean about the zen flow of jam making. I am from Brazil, and here we have a deliciously bitterish fruit, which is part berry, part grape and total delectability. Its name is jabuticaba, and I love making marmalade out of it. I am on the less sugar, more zing camp as well.
I’ve been following you for years, discovered “My Berlin Kitchen” when I was living in India, years ago. I was going through a hard period, and that book kept me going. It was such an inspiration. Now your newsletters bring me comfort amidst this crazy pandemic. I love your writing, can’t wait for your fiction!
xx
Beautiful writing - I can practically see your typical apartment house in Berlin. Haven’t been there since 2010 when visiting my Nephew and his family.
Living in the USA since 1979. I have never been able to find the Seville oranges over here but made plenty of other jams and marmalade’s with local seasonal fruits. My favorite always have been the late season peaches. Have you ever made peach jam adding three or four 7” long branches with leaves from a peach tree after you removed the set liquid from the stove top? Let them seep for a couple of minutes than remove them. They add an almond taste/aroma to the jam that is breathtaking.
I always placed my filled jars in the oven at 100 C for 30 minutes - removed them and listened to the pop what the cooling contents pulled the lids center down.
Unfortunately I had to stop this hobby when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Now I only stick to cheese making and bread baking.
Look forward to your next letter from Berlin.
My husband makes marmalade from the candied fruit that is leftover from the Christmas fruitcake he makes every year. His brother lives in Berlin in a building similar to where you live and your description brought back fond memories of when we visited Christmas 2016, a beautiful city!
Loved reading about your apartment and joy of making this marmalade. Children love an unstructured playplace. Not sure if Seville oranges are in Aust, blood oranges make a brief appearance but are a luxury purchase. Navel and Valencia grown.
Great memories of staying in an apartment above a home in Sicily with a garden full of lemons and oranges. Fresh marmalade and homemade bread for breakfast.
Luisa you have saved my life and my poor old hands. I have been making marmalade for ever but never like this, and am 68. Thank you so much for your blog which arrived in my inbox the week a friend found Sevilles in our local supermarket. I'm half way through the recipe and am sure it'll be delicious.
Luisa, thank you for sharing your writing in this new form. I’ve missed your unique voice and have loved reading these longer pieces! (I hope you’ll share book recommendations and/or updates on your novel here as well. :)) I recently picked up a jar of homemade marmalade at an outdoor winter market here in my (US) city, and have enjoyed imagining how the delicious result was created.
Hello! Thanks for the recipe! I did a half batch yesterday and it was really easy to follow even for someone with zero experience in jam making. I just found the jam has less peels than I'm used to. Maybe I scooped too much. I will look for more oranges to try again !!
My original long comment did not post 🙁
Anyway! Hi Luisa, I absolutely reading your letter and imagined your apartment and the courtyard and you in your cosy kitchen. I will definitely try your recipe, thank YOU. I am fortunate to every year have a huge yield of oranges from one tree in my Darling Parents Garden. Dad for years was the marmalade creator and after his passing eight years ago,Mum has lovingly taken over. She will be very interested in your version Luisa. I’m from Melbourne, Australia; my parents were born in Asiago, Veneto region of Italy. I visited Berlin two years ago and enjoyed it so much. I look forward to your future letters. Xxx