There's the expression, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."  Well, for me, when life gives me a LOT of lemons, oranges, tangerines and grapefruit, I make variations of a citrus marmalade with the ENTIRE fruit.  This citrus clove marmalade is perfect for the winter season and makes wonderful gifts.

Growing up in South Africa, I loved the Rose's thick cut British style marmalade.  It had thick chunks of orange rind with a slightly bitter bite.  We would lather that marmalade onto a piece of toast with a thick layer of butter that would melt into the toast and it tasted heavanly.

Before the girls were born, we bought a house in Pasadena from a rare fruit grower.  He had over 100 different fruit trees on the property.  It was almost like the Garden of Eden except that we had to tend to all the trees!  During the winter time, we had so many citrus fruits.  We gave a lot away, made gallons of juice and I made jars of citrus marmalade.  Most  recipes and commercially commercial marmalade only use the rind and add water sugar and pectin.  My recipe uses the entire fruit.  It's fruitier and smells like citrus.

Our current house has a few citrus trees which are prolific during winter and once a year, I make a citrus all-fruit marmalade.  (Some experiments work and some don't, like my parents' very bitter yuzu lemon!)  I've tried to make this citrus clove marmade as "healthy" as possible by using the entire fruit, no water, no pectin and the least amount of sugar that you can use and still allow the marmalade to gel naturally.

Tips for making citrus clove marmalade

This recipe is so simple.  The fruit to sugar ratio is 1:1.  You can calculate the number of jars needed based on approximately 640 g of marmalade for each pint jar. (Half of the weight is the fruit and half of the weight is the sugar.) The weight of the fruit is measured after boiling the peels which will be less than the weight when you started due to evaporation.

Weigh and record the weight of the heavy bottomed saucepan that you'll be using to boil your marmalade.  You'll be using a little bit of math to calculate the net weight of your fruit.

Citrus fruit.

If you don't grow your own citrus fruit, some purveyors wax the fruit to achieve a longer shelf life.  Make sure you wash and thoroughly scrub your fruit before making the marmalade.  

Whole cloves.

I like using whole cloves that infuses its flavor during the boiling process rather than changing the color of the marmalade when adding ground cloves.  I also like adding the cloves to the canning jars for aesthetic reasons.  However, you do need to remove the whole cloves before eating!

Citrus seeds.

The seeds and pith of the fruit contains a lot of pectin that is needed to gel the marmalade.  I usually juice the fruit to separate the pits from the juice and boil the pits in a bag with the peels to extract the pectin.

Equipment.

Digital scale.

A digital scale will be necessary to weight the fruit and sugar.  I recommend this scale.

Thick bottom saucepan.

A thick bottom saucepan is important when simmering the marmalade as it allows the sugar to cook without burning the bottom.

Candy thermometer or Instant read thermometer.

Using a thermometer takes the guesswork out of making marmalade.  If you have the right proportions of sugar and fruit and boil the sugar to a certain temperature, your marmalade will set.  You don't have to drizzle the hot marmalade down cold plates to see if it sets!

You can either use a candy thermometer or an instant read thermometer.  If you don't own a thermometer,  I would suggest purchasing an instant read thermometer like the one below as it is more versatile and you can use it for BBQ, roasts and even baked goods!

Canning Jars.

Before making your marmalade, sterilize your jars and lids by boiling them in a pot of water for at least 10 minutes and removing them with some tongs to dry.

Canning Funnel.

Although not a must-have, it does make canning easier.  I used to just carefully ladle out the marmalade into the jar.  I bought a canning funnel because it only cost a dollar and it has been a real time saver.  No more dealing with sticky jars!

Tea filter bags, tea infuser or cheesecloth.

Put all your citrus pits and pulp from juicing in a tea filter bag, tea infuser or cheesecloth when softening the rinds.  Boiling the pits and pulp during this time extracts the pectin.

Uses.

I have given marmalade as gifts to friends and families.  They have been used as breakfast preserves on toast, accompaniments for charcuterie boards, made as a tea as well as an accompaniment for Canard a l'orange.  (Roast Duck with orange glaze.)

Have fun making your citrus marmalade and let me know if you come up with any different variations in the comment section.