Jam is something that I don’t make very often. For me, it’s just a level of difficulty that I don’t want to deal with. Whenever I see a recipe that involves pectin or some kind of thickener I’ve never worked with before I get nervous and look elsewhere.

Even if this is your first time making jam don’t be nervous about it. It took me quite a few times to get jam right. It's ok if the first batch doesn't work out. I see so many people get mad at a recipe when it doesn't work out for them and that's ok. You live and learn and so what if it takes you a few times to master something new you've tried before? Jam making involves patience, a thermometer, and just the proper temperature to make it all set right.

Noo thickener is needed to make this orange marmalade and it is made with 4 simple ingredients which are fruit, sugar, and lemon juice. The only 3 ingredients needed to make a typical jam.

This orange marmalade recipe involves slicing your oranges and lemons using a tool such as a mandoline. If you don't have a mandoline use a knife. Always practice safety first! The orange rinds break down in the jam but if you don’t like huge pieces of rinds in your jam then I would cut them in half lengthwise or into 4 even pieces. If you don’t want the taste of lemon in your orange marmalade use more oranges.

How to make Orange Marmalade

Cut the oranges and lemons in half crosswise, then into very thin half-moon slices. (If you have a mandoline, this will be quite fast.) Discard any seeds. Place the sliced fruit and their juices into a stainless-steel pot. Add 8 cups water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Cover and allow to stand overnight at room temperature.

The next day, bring the mixture back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours. Turn the heat up to medium and boil gently, stirring often, for another 30 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms on the top. Cook the marmalade until it reaches 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer. If you want to be doubly sure it's ready, place a small amount on a plate and refrigerate it until it's cool but not cold. If it's firm -- neither runny nor too hard -- it's done. It will be a golden orange color. (If the marmalade is runny, continue cooking it and if it's too hard, add more water.)

Pour the marmalade into clean, hot Mason jars; wipe the rims thoroughly with a clean damp paper towel, and seal with the lids. Store in the pantry for up to a year.

Tips for Orange Marmalade

It takes almost an hour to get the jam to the proper temperature. The recipe called for 30 minutes but mine took twice as long.

2. Even though I started processing the jars a little bit too early, the temperature was around 210 degrees when I started to sterilize the jars. Maybe next time, start sterilizing the jars at 215 degrees??? I think I ended up boiling those jars for almost 45 minutes. They're pretty darn safe to eat it from by then. Better safe than sorry.

3. Once you fill the jam into jars, there's still a little bit of the jam mixture at the bottom of the pan. I couldn't get it all scooped out on time and a little amount of jam left at the bottom of the pan ended up burning. Ooops. I put some water in the pan quickly so that it would come out. It's working, cause the water is helping to loosen up the burnt sugar at the bottom.

4. Always, put a pan that hot on a hot plate. I was so frantically running around the kitchen trying to find something to put it on but I couldn't find anything. If you don't, something bad will happen to your countertop. Usually, I have dishes in that spot, so it's not very noticeable, but still sucks.

5. This recipe calls for 8 cups of sugar. Yes, 8. Even by just reading that, you know it's going to be a good recipe.

Other Jam Recipes

Baked Brie with Maple Bacon Onion Jam

Slow Cooker Bacon Jam

How to make a Cheese Platter

Air Fryer Pop Tarts