Lemonade Marmalade
Northern Rivers | NSW
Spring’s definitely here. The bees are buzzing, the jasmine and nasturtiums have been in bloom at every turn here on the Northern Rivers.
This post is both a celebration of nature at this time of year in all its blooming glory; as well as a nod to the little hybrid fruit, the lemonade. I made my very first batch of marmalade just recently.
Again, I’ve probably been living under a rock…. but I’d never heard of this particular type of citrus fruit. It’s a cross between a mandarin, orange and a lemon. I was told when squeezed it would taste exactly like the old school lemonade drink. It did, a lot sweeter than I imagined. The flesh inside looked exactly like a lemon.
I got my supply of fruit from a lady at my local branch of the Country Women’s Association. Turns out this monthly meet is not only a good tool for me to meet new people and do my bit to contribute to the local area; but to also get my hands on some local produce as well, it would seem.
The recipe I used was chosen for no particular reason than it happened to suit the quantity of fruit I had to work with, and also cater to my current skill-set. There’s a real science to conserve making, and I’m looking forward to being a bit more adventurous in the future as my experience grows.
The marmalade turned out better than I expected, given it was my first try. The flavour was pretty delicious actually. If I used this recipe again though, the only thing I’d do differently, would be to dice the skin of the fruit a bit finer versus the large squares. Not too fine though…. a conserve packed full of fruit on the chunkier-side of life is a benchmark of good homemade, small-scale conserve (I think anyway).
Now spring….
Jasmine has been going nuts here over the past couple of weeks. I have an enormous vine-laden fence right outside my bedroom window. It has been dense with the little pale pink and white blooms for the past fortnight. As soon as I open my bedroom window the perfume wafts in. They’re starting to die off now unfortunately.
You’ll notice a beautiful bunch of flowers in the photos below. A gorgeous little find at a local cafe. The things you find on your Saturday morning coffee-run.
If you find yourself with lemonades aplenty and want to give the recipe I used a go to make your own batch of marmalade, you can find the link via the ‘Recipe’ button below. Might be on the tail end of the season now; but there’s always next year.
Enjoy!
