Oranges - With Recipe for Making Homemade Navel Orange Jam

Oranges in season

When oranges are in season or you have lots of oranges from your own backyard, why not make some orange jam. The orange being a citrus, has lots of natural pectin so there is no need to use gelatine or commercial pectin in this recipe.

There are three types of oranges : sweet oranges, sour oranges and mandarin oranges. Navel, Pineapple, Blood and Valencia are some of the sweet orange varieties. Seville is the sour orange variety which is used in cooking and making liquors. Oranges are used in production of orange juice, perfume, jams and wood conditioners. The orange peel can be as a slug repellent. Cats also dislike the smell of orange peels which can be thrown around the garden to discourage cats from coming to your property.

Oranges have many health benefits and are rich in vitamins C and A, antioxidants, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, citric acid, fiber and other nutrients.

Valencia and navel oranges are very common in Australia and they can be cooked into delicious jams. The valencia is a sweet orange variety which does not have the bitterness which is caused by a substance called limonin found in the navel orange. If you like a bit of bitter taste in your orange jam, then go for navel oranges.

Recipe for Navel Orange Jam

You will need two kilograms of navel oranges or any other orange variety of your choice, one cup of orange peels, one lemon, 1½ kilograms of sugar and some sterilised bottles to store the jam.

• Remove the skin and seeds from the oranges and lemon.
• Cut the oranges and lemon into cubes and cook in a pot until tender.
• Add in sugar and orange peels. Orange peels also have a bitter taste. If you do not like the bitter taste at all, skip the orange peels.
• The oranges should be cooked for at least one hour.
• When the volume has decreased to almost half, boil quickly for 15 minutes or until the jam thickens and a lot of it sticks to the side of the pot. You can also test a small amount of jam on a cold plate. It should be very sticky and not runny.
• Pour into sterilised bottles and seal tightly.
• Store the bottles of jam in a dark cool place.

Unopened bottles can be stored for at least six months. Once the bottles are opened, it is best to store in the refrigerator.