On Thursday I had to do some work on the lemon tree at work and ended up with a bucket and a half of lemons. So I thought I would make marmalade.
I didn’t realise how few lemons you needed. But that’s okay. I will think of something else.
The thing I am thinking of is tipping out all my marmalade and trying again. You see, it didn’t really turn out well. Oh I got marmalade alright, but after cooking it for the prescribed time, it didn’t seem to be setting, so I kept cooking it till it looked about right.
The problem is, it now has an icky taste. Probably it was burnt. Possibly I shouldn’t have used raw sugar. Maybe the lemons weren’t ripe enough.
Whatever. It tastes okay. Mum and Chris seem to have enjoyed theirs but I had 2 slices and could taste it-I can taste it now, like when you eat onions and it stays in the mouth.
So I have half a dozen bottles of marmalade that I don’t even know if they sealed because I had to use vegemite jars, so they were probably going to go off anyway.
Perhaps I will try again but add some pectin in for good measure.
In the meantime, I may grade the lemons and slice up the best and stick them in the freezer. Or throw them all out. Or make lemon juice. IDK.
Originally written August 4, 2025