Meyer Lemon-Vanilla Bean Marmalade
January 21, 2010 | Print | E-mail | Filed under canning, lemon, tigresscanjam, vanilla
Before I get to today’s post, I just wanted to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. It’s great to be part of such a fantastic blogging community – you are all so wonderful!
This is my first post for the Tigress’ Can Jam, which I am very excited to be a part of. After having so much fun canning for the first time this past Christmas, I knew I was hooked…so when I saw some of my fellow bloggers tweeting about a new canning group, I immediately found out the details and joined – and you can, too! Canning isn’t nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be. This month’s theme was citrus, so I adapted this recipe for Meyer lemon-vanilla bean marmalade from the blood orange marmalade recipe in my trusty Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. And, I didn’t even need any pectin! Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 lbs Meyer lemons (about 10 lemons)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 4 cups sugar
Cut off the tops and bottoms of the lemons and score the peel of each one lengthwise into quarters. Remove the peel and set aside the fruit. Place the pieces of peel into a large sauce pan and fill with water until covered. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat and boil for 10 minutes. Cover with cold water again and return to a boil for another 10 minutes or until the peel is softened. Drain. Using a spoon, scrape the pith (the white stuff) from the peel. Then, cut the peel into very thin strips. Using a knife, cut the membrane off the lemon segments.
Add the cooked peel and 2 1/2 cups of water to the fruit, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and boil gently for about a half hour or until the peel is very soft. Remove from the heat and measure 4 cups of the fruit mixture, adding water if necessary.
When ready to can, prepare your supplies. Bring the temperature of the glass jars up by processing them in hot water for several minutes. Heat a few cups of water in a small saucepan for the lids. In a large sauce pan, bring the fruit mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add in the vanilla bean and 4 cups of sugar gradually, maintaining the boil. Boil hard, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches the gel stage. Then, skim off the foam. When the jars are ready, fill them with the marmalade to 1/4″ headspace and place the lids and bands on top, screwing on the bands just to fingertip-tight. Place the full jars back into the boiling water and boil 10 minutes. Remove from the water and place the jars on a towel, and let the jars cool. The seals should suck down (you’ll hear a popping noise as they do). Makes 6 eight-ounce jars.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:03 am
I have never canned before. This sounds amazing!
January 21st, 2010 at 11:17 am
That looks fantastic; lovely colour and flavours. I love you blog. There are lots of recipes I’m wanting to make now. Good luck Can Jamming.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:31 am
Gloious, Tracy! It looks so sparkly & fresh! Have you tasted it? What’s it like? I canned, too – my post will be up tonight after midnight (eastern) – I never did it before, either, and wound up with a little extra for the fridge. So exciting, right?
January 21st, 2010 at 11:37 am
Lovely colour and yummy jam.
My PIL makes all sorts of jams out of fruits. 
January 21st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Mouthwatering!! It looks like the consistency of lemon curd (which I LOVE), maybe a bit more bumpy. Sounds and looks delicious! I’m still planning on making your Apple Cinnamon jam this weekend. I can hardly wait! Now I want to make this recipe too!
Thanks for the inspiration, Tracy!
January 21st, 2010 at 1:20 pm
I am supposed to be making some marmalade for the first time but so far my seville oranges are sitting unused. At least I have an idea what to expect now!
January 21st, 2010 at 2:06 pm
I LOVE lemon! This sounds really delightful. I haven’t canned in about 10 years. I’d love to get started again.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Looks yummy!
January 21st, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Tracy, you made this seem waaaaaaaay too easy. I really love your step-by-step picture instructions. You might just be the very person to motivate me to try canning!
January 21st, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Lemon vanilla marmalade! That will be PERFECT when my co-worker brings in a bag of excess lemons from her tree…
Can’t wait to try my hand at making it. Thanks!
January 21st, 2010 at 11:21 pm
I have a couple lemon lovin’ friends who would LOVE this! I need to make this.
Do you think Meyer’s Lemons would be better/worse or no different in this?
January 22nd, 2010 at 4:33 am
You make canning sounds so simple & interesting! I would love to try it one of these days! ..when i can find canning bottle..i can’t seem to see any in the stores..
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:31 am
CJ – I bet Meyer lemons would make this marmalade even better. You can probably use less sugar if you wanted, too!
Faith – I find my jars at the grocery store; they have a very small canning section with jars and pectin. I couldn’t find it at first and had to ask someone, so that’s what I would suggest doing. Good luck!
January 22nd, 2010 at 3:21 pm
If I want to lower the sugar content, I usually check other canning recipes for fruit-to-sugar-to-water proportions and see if I can find a similar one. Without pectin, it becomes much easier to wing it, but you can’t go completely bonkers without ending up with a pourable sauce instead of a jam or marmalade!
I like this recipe. I’ve been intrigued with vanilla with fruit in the last few years and can some of my peach halves with a little vanilla in the syrup.
January 22nd, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Gorgeous and I bet it tasted wonderful!
January 22nd, 2010 at 5:44 pm
I love that you incorporated vanilla into the marmalade, Tracy. . .this isn’t a common addition, and I’m sure it tastes wonderful. Being a vanilla-head myself, though, I probably would have put in two or three pods.
Just like garlic, you can never have enough, I say!
January 24th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I just started getting into canning the last few seasons. I love it!
What great flavours you have going on – lemon and vanilla sound wonderful!
January 24th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Wow – this looks like an amazing recipe! I love lemons. I haven’t done much canning, but I think I’ll have to give it a try.
January 25th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
This looks tasty and is so pretty. I started doing some jams and butters this season but nothing like this! I just might give it a try.
January 25th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
This sounds so yummy. Is it like lemon curd?
January 25th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Sarah – Nope, it’s a marmalade – there are no eggs in it.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Hey! We did the same recipe for the Can Jam!
Yours looks amazing!
February 13th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Mmmm they look yummy! Pretty yellow color!
March 18th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
This looks delicious, and your instructions and step by step photo’s make it seem so simple. I have cooked all sorts of things, but never canned…. I’ve even got a case of jars waiting! This will have to Thanks for the inspiration.
March 23rd, 2010 at 4:07 pm
This sounds soo good. I love the idea of lemons and vanilla. YUM
May 18th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
What a fantastic idea, vanilla and lemon, so good in cakes, why not marmalade…I can imagine this slathered on a toasted piece of brioche…on my list!
August 2nd, 2010 at 4:22 am
That sounds wonderful – I’ll make it sometime – though I’m off sugar
When I make marmalade I put the fruit with some of the water in the liquidizer before I even cook it – I imagine it’s easier to deal with than when it has the sugar in and is setting. . .
August 17th, 2012 at 8:07 am
This sounds amazing! PINNED