I remember helping maternal grandmother make her own marmalade. She was born in Yorkshire and I still remember her home made white bread with marmalade. She told me you had to use "special" oranges.
Richard came over the other day and brought a can he picked up at the English section of Fresh Street Market. It was an orange concentrate and I wasn't sure what to do with it. I opened it and both Cec and Richard tasted it. They said "that's very bitter". I put on my glasses, read the can and it was a concentrate of Seville oranges to make marmalade.
I have never made jam. With all the time I have, I went to Canadian Tire and bought mason jars. The recipe called for 1.8 KG (UK recipe) for my US friends 4 pounds of sugar! I just bought a package of sugar and it was 2 KG so at least I had enough to make the jam.
As I was making the marmalade, I was washing the mason jars and lids in nice soapy hot water. I seem to use hotter water and more soap these days. I tested the marmalade and it appeared to be setting so I started to put it in my 12 small jars, the only ones left at Canadian Tire. Obviously I am not the only one making jam.
I got to the last two jars and I had no more lids. When I searched my soapy water, one of the sealing lids, SEALED to my sink. See the picture below. I put saran wrap underneath the lid to take the picture just in case it "sealed" itself again.
 |
| It was really stuck |
I tried getting it out with different knives, scissors and anything else that may lift it. Nothing would break the seal. I asked Cec for help. As he was about to get a nail, hammer and screw driver in the garage, I quickly went on You Tube. I found a wonderful video where a guy used a bathroom toilet plunger to release something stuck. Cec got the bathroom plunger and with a few hefty plunges it unsealed itself!
I have ten jars left, I've already given two away. I hope it's good as with all the sugar in the marmalade I will be careful not to eat it every day.
