Retired in Euskadi

Does anyone out there make marmalade?
Managed to get a big box of Seville oranges online this year. You'd think after so many years making the stuff, I'd be good at it, but my main problem has always been getting the right setting point, when the resulting marmalade is neither too runny nor too dry. Usually it's a bit too dry.
Does anyone have any tips?
I bought a thermometer this year as they say the setting point is 104ºC. It might help, hopefully.
But I'd prefer people's experiences on the subject.
Many thanks

airways

Yes! I have just made loads of it from the tree in front of my window. Setting point is 105C but I have found that the pectin content of the oranges varies year to year and this year I had to add a teaspoon of pectin to make it set.

I like to cook mine a little extra to get the deeper orange colour and deeper flavour.

spainrico

Looks fantastic I have to settle for Mercadona's own brand which is not bad and sometimes Duerrs from the Expat supermarket.

Retired in Euskadi

That looks excellent. I did buy a bottle of pectin in September when we were in England, but have never seen it on sale here.

airways

Thanks. I had to order it on Amazon in the end and now have enough to outlast my lifetime!!!

agree_to_disagree

I was in the UK about three years ago and collected lots of blackberries and made myself some blackberry jam.

I left most with the folks I was visiting but tried taking a couple jam jars of it back to Spain with me.

When I was going thru security at the airport they seized one jar of my jam.

Joppa

Yeah, jam/marmalade counts as liquid and you cannot take through security.

agree_to_disagree

I was quite miffed to be honest.

What did they think I was going to do?

Blow up a plane with a jam jar of blackberry jam????

Joppa

Several years ago, there was an attempt to smuggle through security liquid explosive mixed with a paste and since then anything containing liquid, paste etc is banned.

Retired in Euskadi

The same happened to me with a jar of Patak's Mango Chutney. The security man was wearing a turban and I think gave me the benefit of the doubt. Lucky.

SanNico

You can't beat Patak's Mango Chutney. They sell it in my local Carrefour and the Chinese market. Maybe check your locals. The local Chinese also sells pectin.

Fred James

Making your own Mango Chutney is even easier than making Marmalade and tastes far better than Pataks as it has some texture and you can make it as spicy as you want and Mangos are really cheap to buy.

The Mango Chutney in most Indian restaurants in Spain is rubbish slop out of a 10 litre container.

agree_to_disagree

I fancy making my own naan bread. I just haven't got around to it yet.

The more of you food you prepare yourself the better.

Processed food is loaded with sugar, saturated fat, salt, preservatives and colourants.

airways

I do that as well and chappiti. In fact I pretty much make everything myself. Currently my hotpot is bubbling away at 125C with steak, mushrooms, carrots, onion, red wine and beef OXO cubes for dinner tonight. The dumplings go in around 7 after I get home from cycling!

Jon-Bxl

Love Mango Chutney, do you have a link to a recipe you rate, please?

Thanks

Jon

PS I had Boursin garlic cheese (unopened) confiscated once at a French airport.... I offered to eat some if it and let them sniff it.... But no!