Day 281: Room Service at the Matrix
(In Edmonton.) Bison meatloaf burgers and pizza with a bottle of Picconero (Italian Red) with K curled up on the couch by the fireplace in my room, which was the bigger of the two, having a living room, two flat screet TVs and a balcony the size of my living room and dining room at home. I think I may need to travel to Edmonton more often. And have someone else pay for it.
So I’ll offer up a recipe for zucchini marmalade which I had on toast this morning between it all. I’ve seen recipes for zucchini marmalade for years - many of which call for orange varieties of Jell-O (including peach), but have never been inspired enough to make some, and couldn’t bring myself to grate zucchini into oversugared Jell-O and spread it on my toast. I did, however, come up with a simple and quite spectacular zucchini marmalade that was unbelievably easy, does not require pectin nor is a hassle to set. The zucchini doesn’t add an odd texture or flavour, but rather only appealing flecks of green throughout; use yellow zucchini if you’d rather it blend in.
Zucchini Marmalade
Try to buy thick-skinned fruit; thinner skinned citrus fruits don’t have much to contribute to marmalade!
2 lemons
1 large orange
2 cups water
1 medium-small zucchini, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 cups sugarWash the lemons and orange well and grate the zest off using the coarse side of a box grater. Put it into a large saucepan with the water. Peel the white pith off the fruit and add to the pot (a few large chunks is fine, something that will be easy to remove) and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about half an hour. Meanwhile, finely chop the flesh of the lemons and orange, or pulse them in a food processor.
Remove the pith from the saucepan and add the lemon, orange and zucchini to the pot. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, then add the sugar and bring to a full boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. To test for the jelly stage, put a small bit in a small dish and put it in the freezer; you should be able to tell when it’s cold if it has turned to marmalade. If you want to use a candy thermometer, the temperature should reach 210F.
Pour into hot, clean jars, seal and cool. Makes 4 cups, or 4 250 mL jars.
October 07 2008 11:07 pm | eating out and preserves
The Uphill Gardener on 08 Oct 2008 at 10:42 am #
My maslin pan is begging to be used this season as it’s not been used since the summer and what a simple marmalade to bring in the season with! I think this might come to fruition at the weekend. Julie if your blog has achieved ANYTHING it’s made me learn to eat AND ENJOY zucchini! For over 30 years I have hated them…
Katharine on 08 Oct 2008 at 11:41 am #
Oh good!! I’ve always wondered what to do with the forgotten, over-grown zuccs that my Mom harvests out of her garden at the end of the growing season. They turn out to be spongey and not too tasty on their own. The only other thing I knew to do with them is to make zuccini loaf, or cookies….. I’ll have to give this marmalade try! Thanks, Julie!
The Uphill Gardener on 08 Oct 2008 at 5:05 pm #
Are “old” zucchini (i.e. marrows) not commonly eaten in North America? They make excellent soups and can be stuffed also.
Pat on 08 Oct 2008 at 8:13 pm #
Julie, do you think Splenda would work as well as sugar in the marmalade?
JulieVR on 08 Oct 2008 at 9:14 pm #
Probably not. It just doesn`t behave the same way sugar does. And a warning - the Splenda brown sugar blend contains EXACTLY as many carbohydrates and MORE calories than plain old brown sugar. The idea is that it`s sweeter and you don`t need as much, but most people just use it like they would sugar - often more because it`s considered a sort of freebie.
Theresa on 08 Oct 2008 at 9:55 pm #
That’s very interesting! I had no idea. I thought it was spoon for spoon. ONE HOUR until the crock pot draw!!!