Things to do with Lemons: Meyer Lemon Marmalade

When life gives you lemons...can them?  This seemed like a good idea the more i read about it.  It appears that a couple of different Jams/Preserves/Marmalades can be cooked and then poured into the jars and will seal themselves.  No setting wax or having to use special mixtures to get the goodies to stay fresh and tasty in the Jars for lemon marmalade.  After finding a couple of recipes online i pulled out the basics and decided that i could do this!

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Ingredients: Equal parts of Water : Lemons : White Granulated Sugar
(6 cups a piece was very manageable and filled 6 half pint jars!)

1. Wash the lemons thoroughly.  If you are using store bought lemons this is a super must as you need to get all of the wax off of them.
2. Cut up the Lemons.  NOTE: Save all of the pieces that you are about to cut off as you will boil them all together to get as much pectin as possible).
3. First cut off the tips (Steam and base).  Cut lemons in half from top to bottom.  Next cut the lemon half into wedges cutting from the top to the bottom of the lemon about a 1/4" wide avoiding the white "stem" at the center of the lemon and removing all seeds.  Finally cut the white "stem" off of the final piece and set aside along with tops and bottoms of lemons.
4. Place all of the extra clippings, seeds, and "stems" onto a cheesecloth and tie closed.
5. Last cut of the lemons chop the wedges into thirds width-wise so the lemon pieces are shaped like triangles
   
6. Bring Water, Lemons, and goodies in the cheesecloth in a Medium sized pot to a rolling boil and keep boiling for about 30 minutes, until the lemons are super soft.  You can tie the cheesecloth to the handle of the pot to keep it from dragging to the bottom and getting lost.  I found mine stayed towards the top/side on it's own so i skipped the tying.
7. Remove the pot from the heat.  Remove the goodies bag from the pot and let cool
8. Once cool enough to hold squeeze the excess pectin from the bag into the lemon/water mixture.  This will help the mixture set better with as much of the pectin in it as possible
9. While cooling place the canning jars on a cookie sheet withOUT lids, heat up the oven to 200F, and back the jars for 15 minutes to kill bacteria/germs.
   
10. Just before finishing the next step bring a tea kettle filled with water to a boil and a few minutes before the jelly is ready place the jar lids in a casserole dish, then pour the boiling water over the top to sterilize.
    
11. Add Sugar to pot with water/lemons and place back onto the stove.  Bring to a boil and keep boiling for about 25 minutes and then begin frequently checking the mixture for the tell tale signs it's ready.  I chose the Candy Thermometer method where once the mixture hits 220F-225F it's ready.  There is also the "Finger Nail" Test which can be found here.
12. Remove the jelly from the heat
13. Using a ladle pour the jelly into the jars leaving 1/4" at the top for the jars to use during their sealing process.  Most sites said that you need to do this fast, but i took about 10 minutes while trying to learn it for the first time and to not make a mess.  I didn't have any problems, but it was depend upon how "done" the jelly is, so working fast here isn't a bad thing.
14. Wipe off any jelly that is on the lip of the jars
15. Cover with lids and screw on
16. Set aside and wait for the Jars to process the air inside sealing them shut.  It's super fun to hear the jars pop-shut during the day, but i think it may have given me nightmare at night...it was kinda loud.
17. Lastly enjoy your Marmalade!  Use it, Gift it, Sell it, do whatever you want with it...but make sure it gets used!!!