A basic marmalade recipe looks like this:

1 part thinly sliced citrus, seeded, white pithy core removed
1 part water
1 part sugar

Cook on a low bubble until reduced to a thin syrup.

The pectin in the sugar (do NOT reduce this amount) will thicken up the marmalade further after canning.

I usually make a champagne citrus marmalade, in which case I will reduce the sugar a bit and the champagne (or prosecco or spumanti) replaces the amount of water.

Joe

annie's recipe....which I have made several times....
I remove the rind with a potato peeler and then slice into slivers....then cut the "good stuff" out of the oranges...
It's really yummy!!!

Orange Marmalade
2 cups thinly sliced orange rind
1 quart chopped orange pulp
1 cup thinly sliced lemons
1 1/2 quarts water
5 cups sugar
1. Add water to fruit and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Cover and let stand 12-18 hours in a cool place.
3. Cook rapidly until peel is tender, about 1 hour.
4. Measure fruit and liquid.
5. Alternate sugar with each cup of fruit mixture.
6. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
7. Cook rapidly, about 25 minutes.
8. When mixture begins to thicken, stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
9. Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
10. Adjust caps.
11. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
12. Yield: about 7 half pints.
Also notice that you have to leave the fruit sit 12-18 hours so be sure to time this so it'll be ready to start cooking when you are. I started mine on Saturday night and made marmalade on Sunday afternoon after I came home from the farm.
Good luck, it's worth it, trust me. This is yummy stuff.
Annie

I'd love to make preservers/ fruit spreads sweetened naturally with their own juices, anyone has made any?

Bea

I know of a French method using heavily reduced grape juice which has been boiled to a syrup, but it's quite involved. I suspect you would need commercial equipment to safely can a fruit spread with no sugar.

I've really gotten into marmalade once I tasted the Murcotts from my brother's trees and thought it was a good time to learn to make marmalade. So last year I tried several recipes and did some research on what the prevailing wisdom was for marmalade. I had some successes and some failures; I took a canning class two months ago and the instructor quickly determined the reason for the failures.

Here are some websites, recipes, and some notes from my experience.

Recipe with pectin: http://www.pickyourown.org/marmalade.php

http://canningusa.com/IfICanYouCan/TechniqueMakingMarmalade.htm

Anna's Orange Marmalade Recipe source: Ina Garten
This is SO easy, but it's time consuming. I love it because it candies the rind and it's not bitter at all. Also, you can change up this recipe with different kinds of citrus.

4 large oranges
2 lemons
8 cups water
8 cups sugar

Wash citrus and cut in half from "pole to pole". Cut citrus in very thin slices, being sure to remove the seeds. Place citrus slices and any juice in a heavy-bottomed sauce pot. Add 8 cups of water and bring citrus & water to a boil. Remove from heat and add sugar; stir till dissolved.
Place lid on sauce pot and leave citrus mixture to sit over night. The next day, bring citrus mixture back to a boil; reduce temperature and simmer uncovered for 2 hours, stirring regularly. After 2 hours, bring back up to a steady boil, stirring continually, for *30 minutes or until reaching gel stage. Ladle mixture into prepared jars and process in a BWB for 10 minutes.

* Sometimes it doesn't take the exact 30 minutes at the end to come to gel stage. I guess it just depends on the water content of the fruit, moisture in the air, etc. I've had mine gel at 20 minutes or less, so just use good judgment.

Orange Marmalade
2 cups thinly sliced orange rind
1 quart chopped orange pulp
1 cup thinly sliced lemons about 1 1/2 lemons
1 1/2 quarts water or orange juice
Collect seeds as they contain pectin and cook with pulp
5 cups sugar

1. Add water to fruit (oranges, lemons, rinds) and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Cover and let stand 12-18 hours in a cool place.
3. Cook rapidly until peel is tender, about 1 hour.
4. Measure fruit and liquid.
5. Alternate sugar with each cup of fruit mixture.
6. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
7. Cook rapidly, about 25 minutes.
8. When mixture begins to thicken, stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
9. Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
10. Adjust caps.
11. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
12. Yield: about 7 half pints.

Also notice that you have to leave the fruit sit 12-18 hours so be sure to time this so it'll be ready to start cooking when you are. I started mine on Saturday night and made marmalade on Sunday afternoon after I came home from the farm.

Instructions:

Water Sugar Makes about 18 jelly glasses. Scrub cut in halves remove seeds and slice into very small pieces. Measure the fruit and juice and add 3 times the amount of water. Soak for 12 hours. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Let stand again for 12 hours. For every cup of fruit and juice add 3/4 cup sugar. Cook ingredients in small quantities about 4-6 cups at a time until they form a jelly. Check by the sheet test with a spoon or use a thermometer 8 degrees F above the boiling point of water for your altitude. Pour into prepared jars seal and process.

Does anyone have a small batch or single jar recipe?

joann, the recipe I use calls for volume so it can be scaled down. I have never done a small batch but it should work.

For every 1 pound of oranges, use 16 oz of water and 2 pounds of sugar.

As I say, I generally make a large batch but that is the ratio.

I have made golden marmalade from a receipt, but I added 2 kg of granulated sugar instead of 1 kg. It is very sweet and sticky.
Should I add an extra litre of cold water and bring to the boil to help reduce the amount of sugar???
Any advice please?
thanks