Strawberry Orange Marmalade

The bitter orange rinds and not-too-sweet jelly of orange marmalade always seemed like a condiment of little old ladies, not children or anyone who worships the cult of sugar like I do. Why would anyone opt for bitter jelly when there were sweet jellies like peach, strawberry, and blueberry?

My tastes have evolved just slightly since I was a child averse to marmalade, and I can appreciate and even enjoy orange marmalade (my Dad makes a fab orange marmalade from the little fruits of his citrus tree), but orange marmalade is never my first jam or jelly choice.When I saw the strawberry marmalade recipe in the the canning book I got for Christmas, Putting up: A Year-Round Guide to Canning in the Southern Tradition, I just knew that this sweeter marmalade hybrid was for me and my childish taste buds.

Putting Up is written by Steven Dowdney who runs Rockland Plantation, a successful canning business out of South Carolina, and I've purchased many of his yummy pickles and chutneys when visiting home, so was excited to see a collection of his recipes. I've already made his pickled asparagus, and the strawberry marmalade is my second attempt at one of his recipes.

On a related, but side note, I'm really excited about Marisa's new blog, Food in Jars, that features lots of canning recipes. Take one of her canning classes at Foster's in Philly if you're interested in canning, but are daunted by the whole process. Canning is easy, but I highly recommend participating with an experienced canner; it'll alleviate any fears you have.
Strawberry Orange Marmalade
adapted from Putting Up
makes about 6 pints

I, of course, tweaked a few things - like pureeing the majority of the strawberries instead of leaving them whole (orange rind chunks are enough chunkiness, in my opinion), and reduced the sugar from 12 cups (!!) to 6 cups. In the end, I still ended up with a sweet marmalade, albeit one with minimal rind, that even a child like myself could love.

5 plus cups strawberries, cleaned, topped and quartered,
4 oranges, thin skinned, sliced thinly, then seeded and chopped (I like the rind to be no longer than half an inch)
2 lemons, sliced thinly, then seeded and chopped (I like the rind to be no longer than half an inch)
1 cup water
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 packs pectin
6 cups sugar, divided

• Pulse all but a handful of strawberries in a food processor for three or four pulses.
• Place all ingredients, except sugar, in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently.
  
• Add half of the sugar, mixing well and stirring until ingredients boil. Add the remaining sugar, and return to a rolling boil, continuing to stir. Time boiling for 3 minutes, but check for jelling after 2 minutes (I actually boiled for about 15 minutes, and probably could have gone a bit longer, so go with your gut feeling or plate test [scroll down]).
• Remove pot from heat, and ladle hot jam into sterilized jars, wipe rims of jars, apply sterilized lids and bands, and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.