Saturday 20 July 2013

Citrus Fruit Harvest....... Making Marmalade

 
 
My house currently smells all citrusy!  Delightful.....
 
This morning in the rain I went out and picked some of the fruit that was ready.  Since it was a rainy day I couldn't really paint and certainly not garden.
 

 
 
I don't think it really gets much better than fresh fruit covered in raindrops.
 
 

 
My tiny cumquats weighed in at 200 grams! Not much to work with at all.
 

 


 
The limes weighed in at 1.2kg - so that was a little better going.
 
 

 
 
This is the most limes I have ever harvested - two is the biggest crop before this year!
 

 
 




I've finished up with six bottles of lime marmalade and 1 1/2 bottles of cumquat marmalade.



 
I also made two bottles of lemon butter and used one whole lemon!  I've got a bag full of them still to go - so had better come up with some ideas so they don't go to waste - like last years harvest did!  Maybe some lemon delicious pudding will be the order of the day.
 

 
Still to pick is the orange tree - yum - I love making orange marmalade. I think there might even be a orange and almond cake in there somewhere too.   Hopefully now to just get the time to enjoy some more kitchen fun.
 
I love getting to fiddle with baking and cooking when I get the time.  I loved today being able to use my lovely big boiler that belonged to Nana - beautiful Bakelite handles and knob - and of course the juicing with a lovely old depression glass juicer.  I will admit though that the cutting of the fruit was much more up to date - my wonderful new food processor!!