How to Make Calamondin Orange Marmalade: A New Orleans Visit

We just got back from a fast weekend trip to New Orleans to attend another baby shower for Lauren, hosted by friends of her mother-in-law, Karen.  My sister, my mom, and I took the drive down and were glad we got to see Lauren before the baby comes and to experience another baby shower with her down in her home turf.  We do not want to miss anything baby related these days, so I’m happy that I’m able to go on these trips on the spur of the moment.

Did I mention that I love my job?  OH do I!  I love having the flexibility to do things like this baby shower and still work at home (or on the road).  Blessing, it is!

So, we really just spent some family time together and got to see Lauren and Philip’s house more put together, since when we were there in September they had just moved in.

While we were there, Lauren and my mom canned orange marmalade using these cute oranges that are growing in their backyard, called Calamondins. I had never heard of this type orange before, but they are small and tart little oranges and so very cute.  Think kumquats in size and definitely not sweet to eat.

Lauren Google searched and found a recipe that someone had used to can these Calamondin oranges, so that’s what they used.

They went out and snipped off enough oranges to make a batch (made 8 little jars).

Brought them in and washed them well.

The are beautiful little fruit, but I tasted one and yes, they are tart.  Definitely not good to eat all alone.

Snipping off the leaves and stems.

They then cut and seeded all the little Calamondins until there was enough to boil.

They sliced them in thin slices, removing the seeds as they went.

The first afternoon, they boiled the oranges the recommended time and then put it in the fridge until the next day.

Next day, they added the sugar and used a candy thermometer to watch it reach the right temp.

Then after sterilizing the jars and getting the lids ready to go, it was time to fill the jars.

It’s a beautiful color and the rinds are still in there too, adding a more intense citrus flavor. The rind is not tough, but soft.

Wiping down the edges and then adding the lids.

Adding the lid which will seal.

Then screwing on the top.  One by one, each lid popped indicating they were sealed.

And don’t they look pretty?

We tasted it on some toast with butter and it was very delicious.  It’s not probable that too many people have this citrus fruit growing in your backyard, but just in case you have access, below is the recipe.

Lauren found a blog with this recipe, so I’m linking over to Gardening on the Go and you can read all about the calamondin oranges and the recipe she used to can them.

I snapped a few pics while I was there of their decorating progress in the master bedroom.  I shared this room with you earlier, but it’s looking great.

The dresser she found is so pretty painted with Annie Sloan gray paint.

The girl she bought it from did a great job with the painting.

And she helped her get the dresser that we painted all finished up too. This is in her guestroom, painted Annie Sloan Country Gray and they sanded it down and waxed it.  She found the hardware at Hobby Lobby and this dresser got a wonderful facelift.

Updated guestroom dresser.

I had to share Lauren’s tree with you, since she still had it up until after New Years when we were there.  She has been collecting these beautiful Christopher Radko (and knock-off Radko) ornaments since college days and now has a huge collection of beautiful glass ornaments.  Her tree is SO pretty and sparkly with all these gorgeous colors.  Their kids are going to love this big 9’ tree all decked out for Christmas.  It was hard for me to really get great pics of it, but I did the best I could.

Here it is at night!  Gorgeous, isn’t it?

Here’s a look at the tree without all the ornaments.  It’s sort of hard to tell, but the branches of this tree are spaced apart just right to allow for hanging these types of ornaments.  It’s a really neat tree that she got through the Atlanta mart and it’s perfect for her collection of beautiful glass ornaments.

I’ll be back tomorrow with pics from the shower.  She’s all set now with baby things!

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