The Real Lady Marmalade

She's my friend Chris. Artist, gallery worker, mountain biker turned stay at home mom, artist, web designer and creator. When I met Chris, she had two children, E and Q. E was 3ish and Q just a year. Now she has three. E is almost 7, Q is 5 and T is 2. Chris was a banker, type A and terribly over protective. She always had her eye on the kids. She was, and still to some extent, is my parenting opposite. No matter how hard I try, I cannot shake the type A completely out of her. Chris is a great mom, wife and friend. Lately Chris has been getting creative in the kitchen. For the past three years, Chris has been making marmalade from all the citrus that grows in her back yard. It's so good! So I thought I would share her recipe, with her permission, with all of you.

5 cups of fruit pureed (You can use all kinds of citrus, keep in mind how tart you want your marmalade)
2 cups of juice (from your cutting of fruit, use a cutting board with a gutter)
4.5 cups of sugar
2 tbsp zest

Wash your fruit and peel with a knife. It's ok to leave some of the white on your fruit. Remember to collect your juice as you go. Bring juice and zest to a boil. Start to cook down fruit and sugar. Add juice and continue to cook down until fruit and juice get thick and syrupy. ONLY COOK ONE BATCH PER POT or you will be waiting forever for it to thicken.

Once everything has thickened, pour into your prepared jars. (Prepared = washed with soap and water and make sure jars are hot. I boil mine in my water bath.) Put the lids on and loosely screw the rings on. By loosely I don't mean so shit floats out but don't muscle 'em. Put them in the water bath for 10 minutes. Take them out and wait for the blessed Pop! Let them sit for a week or so.

"When I think spring, I think cerveza. And salsa." Actual Chris quote.