By Matt Stone
IN OUR garden we have three types of limes – the kaffir lime, which is best known for using its leaves for cooking. It does fruit profusely, but the warty looking fruit is very bitter. We also have a finger lime, which drops its pod-like fruit when ripe. The tree is a nasty prickle bush, so even gathering fruit under its canopy will likely leave you scratched. The fruit is highly sought after by restaurants, mainly to add to the top of oysters or other fruity or sweet dishes needing a zing from the little pearls within the pods.
Lastly, the Key or Mexican or West Indian lime has a distinctive taste, is small relative to an orange and is thin skinned (probably should rename it the Trump lime!). They are more toward the yellow of a lemon in colour when ripe, rather than the better known Tahitian lime, which is a beautiful bright green.
IN OUR garden we have three types of limes – the kaffir lime, which is best known for using its leaves for cooking. It does fruit profusely, but the warty looking fruit is very bitter. We also have a finger lime, which drops its pod-like fruit when ripe. The tree is a nasty prickle bush, so even gathering fruit under its canopy will likely leave you scratched. The fruit is highly sought after by restaurants, mainly to add to the top of oysters or other fruity or sweet dishes needing a zing from the little pearls within the pods.
Lastly, the Key or Mexican or West Indian lime has a distinctive taste, is small relative to an orange and is thin skinned (probably should rename it the Trump lime!). They are more toward the yellow of a lemon in colour when ripe, rather than the better known Tahitian lime, which is a beautiful bright green.
They are currently plentiful, so the challenge was to use them for something more than a gin and tonic or vodka and lime – hence a marmalade.
Not only do these guys have a lovely taste, but they are chock-a-block full of pectin, making them close to a guaranteed set final product. Personally, I (Liane is not big into jams) have had so many fails with jams being runny, even after loads of pectin, not to mention burning two large pots to a point of “into the rubbish”. I even overflowed one lot onto the gas jets, which never really recovered.
So it was with some trepidation that I had a crack at the following: Key Lime Marmalade.
Ingredients (10-12 x 8 oz jars):
The process:
This is a very slow, no pressure recipe which spreads over three days (* if you desire it can be two days).
Day 1
Rinse well, then slice the limes and lemon thinly, or chop in a food processor – visually, it is well worth the fine slicing effort. Then cover with the water and let stand overnight. I also remove the hard ends of the limes. (*If you make an early start you can soak for 6 hours, then start the next stage, making it a two-day recipe.) The long soaking gets the pectin release started, so what’s the rush?).
Day 2
Bring the limes and water to the boil and then lower the heat and add 6 cups of the sugar on lower heat to dissolve, stirring well. Taste and add the last cup of sugar if preferred and leave the mix to sit overnight. If you like a particularly tart taste, start with 5 cups of sugar. The peel will soften to a good consistency, and the maximum pectin release occurs. (* For those in a hurry, move to day 3 instructions now.)
Day 3
Reheat the marmalade, bring to a rolling boil until the gel stage. Test readiness by dropping a small amount onto a plate out of the freezer, then return to freezer for 1-2 minutes and if a skin has started to set, you are in business.
Ladle into preheated, sterilised jars (leave about 1-2 cm between the jar contents and the lid once closed) and process in a large pot of boiling water until the lids pop. This makes the marmalade storage ready. You can also exclude the last boiling jars step, however the jars will need to be kept in the fridge for long-term storage. Jars can be prepared easily by running them through a cycle in a dishwasher if you have one, otherwise it’s time in the oven.
Toast a slice of sourdough, introduce it to a good cover of butter, then slather with your spectacular looking and tasting marmalade!
Not only do these guys have a lovely taste, but they are chock-a-block full of pectin, making them close to a guaranteed set final product. Personally, I (Liane is not big into jams) have had so many fails with jams being runny, even after loads of pectin, not to mention burning two large pots to a point of “into the rubbish”. I even overflowed one lot onto the gas jets, which never really recovered.
So it was with some trepidation that I had a crack at the following: Key Lime Marmalade.
Ingredients (10-12 x 8 oz jars):
- 12-14 medium size limes
- 8 cups water
- 6-7 cups granulated sugar
- 1 lemon
The process:
This is a very slow, no pressure recipe which spreads over three days (* if you desire it can be two days).
Day 1
Rinse well, then slice the limes and lemon thinly, or chop in a food processor – visually, it is well worth the fine slicing effort. Then cover with the water and let stand overnight. I also remove the hard ends of the limes. (*If you make an early start you can soak for 6 hours, then start the next stage, making it a two-day recipe.) The long soaking gets the pectin release started, so what’s the rush?).
Day 2
Bring the limes and water to the boil and then lower the heat and add 6 cups of the sugar on lower heat to dissolve, stirring well. Taste and add the last cup of sugar if preferred and leave the mix to sit overnight. If you like a particularly tart taste, start with 5 cups of sugar. The peel will soften to a good consistency, and the maximum pectin release occurs. (* For those in a hurry, move to day 3 instructions now.)
Day 3
Reheat the marmalade, bring to a rolling boil until the gel stage. Test readiness by dropping a small amount onto a plate out of the freezer, then return to freezer for 1-2 minutes and if a skin has started to set, you are in business.
Ladle into preheated, sterilised jars (leave about 1-2 cm between the jar contents and the lid once closed) and process in a large pot of boiling water until the lids pop. This makes the marmalade storage ready. You can also exclude the last boiling jars step, however the jars will need to be kept in the fridge for long-term storage. Jars can be prepared easily by running them through a cycle in a dishwasher if you have one, otherwise it’s time in the oven.
Toast a slice of sourdough, introduce it to a good cover of butter, then slather with your spectacular looking and tasting marmalade!