Citrus is available year round, but citrus fruits are actually a seasonal winter fruit here in America! I really wanted to celebrate this by picking a 1940s recipe for citrus something. When I saw this recipe for Tangerine Jam in the December 1941 American Cookery magazine, it really jumped out at me. I’ve only ever had marmalade with the peel, which is okay, but the bitterness isn’t my favorite thing. Only pulp is used for this jam, so I was totally on board for this!
I sadly didn’t have any tangerines, and my little guy has been home sick for the past few days. Going to the store was out of the question, so I used the citrus I had on hand: navel oranges and clementines. Luckily I just barely had enough!
There is a caveat to this recipe. I don’t ever advocate for canning old recipes like this. Science has advanced and knowledge about better canning techniques and recipes have really progressed in the past 80 years for the better. Just because no one died from Grandma’s recipe in the past doesn’t mean it’s best practice in terms of food safety.
So, while I did can this recipe by consulting my Ball Blue Book of Canning (I added 1/4 cup of lemon juice & pulp as a modification, but still used the liquid pectin as suggested in the recipe) I’ll be keeping my jars in the fridge to be on the safe side. It made 8 half-pints. So if you do make this, it’s great to share with friends, but with the caution to keep it in their fridge, even if it’s unopened. Consult with your local extension office for any canning questions or tips.
You can also use this modern recipe from Epicurious.
Ideas for using this jam:
Spread on toast or biscuits
In a peanut butter sandwich
As a filling for thumbprint cookies
Spread on a cinnamon raisin bagel with plain cream cheese
Stirred into plain yogurt
As an alternative filling for Cinnamon Orange Rolls
As a glaze for ham
Spread between two layers of cake (Oh my gosh, chocolate cake would be amazing!)
There are so many great options!
Join me for our final recipe for Day 1 tomorrow!