Sunshine Jam (and How to Reclaim Honey)

I’m so ready for spring. Real spring, as in I’m comfortable being inside.

Citrus is going out of season but there’s some stragglers floating around. And lemons are pretty much available at a decent price point year round. I’ve been sitting around thinking about citrus for a couple of weeks now.

This doesn’t make a terribly sweet jam, but it’s certainly not as bitter as marmalade either. I love the way that mint tastes with citrus but if you don’t like the combination leave it out. Use whatever citrus you have, or wait until next season for your favorites.

I’ve been craving honey in jam too, and stockpiling honey when I go to the store (about a month or so and I can start getting farmer’s market honey again!). When converting a recipe over to honey, remember that you use about 1/3 of a cup of honey to a cup of white sugar.

If you pull out your honey stash and found that it crystalized, reclaiming honey is really easy. In a medium sauce pan place some water to cover at least part of the jar and the jar. Over medium heat, allow the water to come to a boil. Turn off heat when it’s at a boil. With a chop stick or similar, stir the honey and pull from heat when just melted.

Sunshine Jam

3 1/2 cups supremed mixed citrus and its juice

1/3 cup honey

3/4 cups white or raw sugar

1/2 tea dried mint

Supreme your citrus into a bowl, reserving as many of the seeds as you can find.

Place everything into a non-reactive bowl and let macerate at least half an hour.

Place seeds into a cheesecloth and tie into a bundle.

Bring to a boil in a large non-reactive saucepan. When the jam comes to a hard boil, allow to boil for 10 minutes then add the seeds for at least another ten minutes. Remove the seed packet and check your gel point. Keep boiling if you don’t like the set.

When the jam reaches the desired consistency, fill prepped quarter pint jars and process for 10 minutes.

This batch gave me 5 quarter pints, but I’m fairly sure it’s going to set as a syrup.

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Please, stop by this week’s Inspired Weekends!

Linked to-

the blackberry vine
craft dictator
memories by the mile
clairejustine
a pinch of joy
weed em and reap
april’s homemaking
frugal by choice
vmg206
carolyn’s homework

bacon time

practically functional

domestic superhero

diana rambles

pickled okra

artsy-fartsy