Absolutely they can be used for marmalade, as the zest adds much flavor to the jam. Go for it, and if they are too sweet, add some lemon or grapefruit.

Or, use them to make Gina's cranberry citrus marmalade, that's yummy!

Annie

Don't give up on all of them though--sometimes you can get navels of all levels of goodness off a single tree raid.

I'll stand in my backyard picking and peeling oranges for my sticky kids and the variety is surprising from one to the next. Perfect to dry to sour.

Now I need a recipe! I did search and geesh, the recipes are all over the map in terms of process and whether or not to use the peel and the white, etc.

Eileen, don't use the white, that's usually bitter. Use the orange peel, though, that's what gives marmalade it's texture and distinctive flavor.

OK, here's Gina's, I've made it with lemon, with lime, with a combo of orange and grapefruit, it's all good. Note that it does use commercial pectin.

Cranberry Citrus Marmalade
==========================================
Ingredients:
1 grapefruit
1 orange
2 1/2 cups water
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 3/4 oz powdered fruit pectin
6 1/2 cup sugar (I only used 4 1/2 cups)

Method:
Remove peel from 1 grapefruit and 1 orange; scrape excess white membrane from peel. Cut peel into thin strips. In large kettle, combine peel and 2 1/2 cups water; cook, covered, over low heat until tender, 20 minutes.

Section grapefruit and orange; chop fruit. Add with 3 cups fresh cranberries to peel; simmer 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in powdered fruit pectin. Bring to boil; stir in sugar. Bring to full rolling boil; boil hard 1 minute stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim foam. (I didn't do that). Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle into hot sterilized jars. Seal. Boil in boiling water bath 10 minutes.

Yield: 4 pints

If you aren't opposed to commercial pectin, I've used the recipe in the Sure Jell box and it was good, but awfully sweet, and sometimes if you reduce the sugar you won't get the stuff to set, just a warning.

My own marmalade recipe is at home, but I know LindaC has it, maybe she'll post it, or I'll try to remember as soon as I get out of work.

Annie

,

But I like Seville bitter orange marmalade! I like the regular kind too, King Kelly was the brand that I remember at my house as a kid. I guess I want something in between. Though bitter works for me, I will give most of this away.

I found one recipe for Greek marmalade that had you peel off all the orange part of the peel and throw it away and leave all white!

I'll watch for your recipe, Annie.

OK, I'm back. I checked my favorite recipe, which includes the step of macerating the sliced fruit for 18 hours, but I don't think it's going to be good for naval oranges. They have relatively thick skins and the recipe just says to slice the fruit, that thicker layer of white is going to be spongy and tasteless, I think.

So, I'd use this recipe, you could probably sub oranges for the grapefruit, but keep the lemon. I'd also double the recipe, it doesn't make much, and I'd keep the seeds and membranes of the lemon and the oranges, wrap them in a cheesecloth bag and dump them in while I was making the marmalade. Fish it out and throw it away before jarring up the marmalade.

Orange Marmalade Without Added Pectin
Ingredients:
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

3/4 cup grapefruit peel -- (1/2 grapefruit)
3/4 cup orange peel -- (1 orange)
1/3 cup lemon peel -- (1 lemon)
1 quart cold water
Pulp of 1 grapefruit
Pulp of 4 medium-sized oranges
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cups boiling water
3 cups sugar

To prepare fruit. Wash and peel fruit. Cut peel into thin strips. Add cold water and simmer in a covered pan until tender (about 30 minutes). Drain.

Remove seeds and membrane from peeled fruit. Cut fruit into small pieces.

To make marmalade. Add boiling water to peel and fruit. Add sugar and boil rapidly to jell point, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; skim.

Pour immediately into hot, jars to 1/4-inch from top. Seal and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

This recipe yields 3 or 4 half-pint jars.

Orange marmalade on a bagel, with cream cheese sounds yummy right now...

Annie

Thanks, Annie! I've saved it. This will be my weekend project. I'm interested in your other recipe, too, for another time. Though it's possible I have it in my files already.

Anna's Orange Marmalade Recipe source: Ina Garten

Cathy, this is SO easy, but it's time consuming. I love it because it candies the rind and it's not bitter at all. Also, you can change up this recipe with different kinds of citrus.
# 4 large oranges
# 2 lemons
# 8 cups water
# 8 cups sugar

Wash citrus and cut in half from "pole to pole". Cut citrus in very thin slices, being sure to remove the seeds. Place citrus slices and any juice in a heavy-bottomed sauce pot. Add 8 cups of water and bring citrus & water to a boil. Remove from heat and add sugar; stir till dissolved. Place lid on sauce pot and leave citrus mixture to sit over night.

The next day, bring citrus mixture back to a boil; reduce temperature and simmer uncovered for 2 hours, stirring regularly. After 2 hours, bring back up to a steady boil, stirring continually, for *30 minutes or until reaching gel stage.

Ladle mixture into prepared jars and process in a BWB for 10 minutes.

* Sometimes it doesn't take the exact 30 minutes at the end to come to gel stage. I guess it just depends on the water content of the fruit, moisture in the air, etc. I've had mine gel at 20 minutes or less, so just use good judgment.

Credit: Gardengirl/Kathy-Marmalade Recipe, Posted by Mustangs

eileen, that recipe is nearly identical to the one I usually use, it sits 18 hours or overnight, macerating the peel and you just have to slice, not peel, etc.

I have pear preserves that call for that overnight maceration too, they're my favorite preserves.

Annie

I think I will try a batch of each!

I made the second recipe. Just slicing was more mentally manageable for me at 10 pm. I tripled the recipe but cut the sugar and water. 8 cups of water times 3 is a LOT of water. Since I prefer slightly bitter marmalade I reduced the sugar by a third, perhaps. I did it to taste, mine. Even with the reduced water, it took forever to gel. I finally gave up and most of the batch is a bit runny. I cranked up the heat for the last few pints and stood there and stirred and those are thicker. Simmering is not enough heat for that volume in my thick bottomed stock pot, I think.

Good stuff on toast slathered with cream cheese! I'll get ambitious later and post pics. Thanks, Annie, for the encouragement. This was my first batch of jam without commercial pectin.

Eileen, one of the reasons that I like jam without commercial pectin is that I can cut the amount of sugar to suit my own taste and that I can double a batch.

That said, you just hit on the problem with big batches of jam. It takes FOREVER to reach jell point, simply because of the sheer mass of it. Sometimes it never sets up, but it doesn't stop me from making huge batches and then stirring forever. It would probably be faster to just make two batches but I never do....

It's so much better than the commercial stuff, though, isn't it? It's also pretty good as a chicken or pork glaze if you are grilling and is a nice "stir in" for yogurt. Ashley actually likes the jam a bit on the "loose" side because she dunks her toast in the jam and has lots of jam on every single bite but without jam running down her fingers and getting her sticky.

Annie

Oh yes! It is much tastier than the grocery store stuff. I do like Seville orange marmalade but it is very expensive if I can even find the stuff. The rest is just too sweet.

I know I will use this as a glaze for grilled chicken or salmon. Mixed with some Dijon mustard, yum.

Oh yeah, mixed with mustard on salmon would be delicious!

I'll be stealing that idea, thanks. (grin)

Annie