Turmeric Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Every year I tell myself the same thing: I’m going to get all my holiday shopping done in advance. I’m going to be good and think ahead. I’m going to make a Google Doc to add to whenever I think of something perfect for my sister. I slot this wish into an ever-growing list of improvements designed to make me feel more “put together,” somewhere between getting my hair cut before my ends split, learning how to do a full push-up, and trying to say “shit” less frequently. Then December strolls in, so casually, right when I’m in the middle of a shit-ton (oops) of work, and reminds me I suck and how few if any of my goals came to pass. When this happens, I end up making everyone jam.
Spoiler alert to my family and friends: you’re all getting jam this year!
Some have told me they think jam or marmalade is too complicated to make but it’s really not. It’s just fruit and sugar and a little bit of time. You could bang this all out in an afternoon while blasting through A Killing On The Cape (highly recommend). Marmalade is the only thing that takes a little extra time because you have to let the citrus soak overnight. That said, the pectin is easy to set up and it’s next to impossible to fuck up, except the one time I stepped away to finish an episode of Drag Race and burned an entire batch that set all the fire alarms in my building off. So maybe don’t do that, mmmKay?
Recently, I adopted an 8 ft. tall meyer lemon tree. How we got it into the apartment was a small midnight miracle, due entirely to the kindness of my friends who helped me lug it from Brooklyn Heights to my place. While it’s only got a few small green lemons on it, the blossoms remind me of California (seriously, it’s the best scent ever) and now that everything in NY is beige, grey or oatmeal, it’s nice having a reminder of warmer weather to get me through the winter. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. In the meantime I’ve been frantically googling “how NOT to kill your fussy lemon tree.”
This marmalade is inspired by all the golden milk I drink this time of year. Golden milk is a delicious, warming turmeric tea with cardamom and black pepper. A word to the wise, turmeric will stain EVERYTHING. I mean, everything. So be careful, especially if using fresh turmeric, that you prepare it on a surface you don’t mind turning the color of saffron for awhile. Wear gloves if you don’t want your fingers to look like you killed Big Bird. I use fresh turmeric because it’s available at my bodega (and so cheap! I don’t know why but when I go to Whole Foods it’s a million dollars). The meyer lemons keep this from being too tart, and before you faint over the amount of sugar, just remember this is going to be divided amongst 8 jars. Also, people LOVE a homemade gift. Or, at least, I do.
In terms of canning, you can process this in a water bath, which is what I do. These took about 10 minutes. No, you do not have to get a degree in Urban Homesteading to can. Canning may feel intimidating, but marmalades and jams are a great place to start given they’re high in acid and sugar, thus easier to stabilize. Here’s a pretty straightforward canning guide to get you started. This isn’t a crazy big batch, so you can also simply put it in the refrigerator, where it will last about a month.
Turmeric Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t tell you to buy organic lemons versus conventional, but because you’ll be eating the pith and rind—make sure to look for lemons that are unsprayed and feel extra juicy (meaning they give a little when you squeeze them, if they’re rock hard that’s no good). The marmalade is great on toast, but also good alongside goat cheese or as a glaze for salmon or chicken.
Ingredients:
8 Organic Meyer Lemons, scrubbed
8 Organic Lemons, scrubbed
3 tsp Fresh Turmeric, finely grated (or 2 tsp Dried Turmeric)
4 Cups Water
6 Cups Sugar
8 Whole Black Peppercorns
8 Cardamom Pods
8 7-8 oz. Jam Jars
Directions:
Thinly slice 4 Meyer Lemons and 4 regular lemons Be sure to remove as many seeds as you can. It’s a little time consuming, I know, but no one wants to eat those and they’re bitter. Add to a thick-bottomed pot (like a Dutch Oven).
Take the remaining 4 Meyer Lemons and 4 Regular Lemons and remove as much of peel and white pith as possible. Chop coarsely, removing the seeds as you go, and transfer them to the pot.
Place a few small plates in the freezer for when you test the marmalade. Add the 4 Cups of Water to the pot and bring to a boil then simmer for 10 min on medium heat. Remove from heat and place a sheet of parchment directly onto the surface of the lemon mixture. Allow to cool and sit for 12 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Remove the pot from the fridge and return it to the stove. Using a chef’s knife, crush the cardamom pods and black pepper coarsely, then add to the pot. Add to this, also, the fresh or dried turmeric. Bring to a boil and simmer over Medium-Low heat for 20 minutes, until all the citrus is very tender and rather thick in appearance.
Add the sugar to the pot. You’ll want to croak but it’s gonna be ok. I recommend 6 Cups, but you could cut back to 5 Cups and see how you feel as you go. Bring to a boil and boil the marmalade over medium heat for 15-30 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the marmalade has thickened considerably and turned a deeper, golden color. Test it by putting a spoonful onto one of the chilled plates. If it’s runny and there’s no film on top when you push it with your finger, it could use a few more minutes. Ideally, you’re looking for a jam that will stay put when you tip the plate a little to it’s side. Remove from heat once it’s done.
Divide the marmalade evenly into 6-8 hot, clean jars (you can sterilize them in your dishwasher if you have one, or just use really hot and soapy water). Replace the lids and allow to cool on the countertop completely. Process in a water bath from here or store in the fridge up to 1 month.
Yields 6-8 7oz jars.
