A little sweet… a little tart…. Meyer Lemons are just right for marmalade.
Marmalade seems to be one of those things you either love or hate. I am firmly in the first category. But I don’t make marmalade very often because there aren’t many other marmalade fans in the family.
This recipe might just change their minds though. Unlike traditional Seville Orange marmalade which is quite bitter, Meyer Lemon marmalade is just the right combination of sweet and tart and bitter.
What is Marmalade?
That seems like an easy question, doesn’t it? But while researching this recipe I ran across all kinds of contradictory thoughts on marmalade, and will write another post on this topic soon. Basically, marmalade is slivered citrus peels in a gelled juice/sugar mixture.
What Are Meyer Lemons?
Meyer lemons are supposedly a cross between an everyday lemon and a Mandarin orange (better known as a tangerine). Their skin is thinner than a regular lemon and has an orange blush.
Meyer lemons are sweeter than lemons but more tart than tangerines. They can usually be found this time of year in the produce section, often bagged in one pound bags.
Making Marmalade with Honey
I love using honey in my sweet spreads. Honey adds a mellowness that can’t be found when using sugar alone. Be sure to use a mild flavored honey here as we still want the lemon flavor to shine through. Orange blossom honey would be perfect, but wildflower or clover honey is nice also. The important thing is to use a good quality honey, local if you can get it.
How do you determine a good quality honey?
- Buy from a local honey producer. If you know where it comes from, you know that it’s real.
- Spend more money that you wish. Real honey costs money as raising bees and producing honey is an intensive procedure. Inexpensive honey is probably a honey/corn syrup mixture. Honey is one of the most common “fraud foods” or foods that aren’t quite what they seem.
- Taste it. Good quality honey is smooth and mellow, not sharp and harsh.
Processing the Marmalade
Like all home canned sweet spreads, Meyer Lemon Marmalade must be processed in a water bath canner or stored in the refrigerator. Follow our step-by-step Water Bath Canning Tutorial if you are unfamiliar with the process.
- 1 lb Meyer Lemons
- 2⅔ cups water
- 1⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1⅓ cup honey
- Wash lemons. Trim ends.
- Cut lemons into wedges and then thinly slice wedges crosswise.
- Combine lemon slices and water. Let sit 8 hours or overnight.
- Add sugar and honey to lemon mixture.
- Slowly bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Cook rapidly until mixture reaches the gelling point, about 220 degrees. This will take approx. 25 minutes.
- Spoon marmalade into clean, ½ pint jars. Top with two-piece caps.
- Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.
How to Use Your Lemon Marmalade
This marmalade is wonderful on toast or English muffins, served with scones, or topping a blueberry or ginger muffin.
You could also mix it with cream cheese frosting or add it to a cake filling. Stir some in to plain yogurt for an afternoon pick-me-up. Use it as a glaze over baked ham, pork chops or roasted carrots.
And maybe we shouldn’t …. but this marmalade is so good you may find yourself eating it with a spoon. Hey, it’s got to be better for us than a candy bar. Right?
If your family loves you, they will love you twice as much if you make Meyer Lemon Marmalade for them. The best recipe ever. After a recent light freeze they called to see if the Myer Lemon tree froze. Try this delicious recipe because it’s the best.
Thanks for the shout-out Pat! I am just a little jealous of you growing your own Meyer lemons 🙂