Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Making Orange Marmalade


 

“This is awesome! Yesterday I saw my first orange on a tree and today I get to pick them!”- Anna (visiting from New York).

I got out with some friends the other day and harvested a few Valencia orange trees I had been eyeing. It had become clear that these trees (all in the public right of way) were not being picked and the precious tasty fruit were all going to waste. We were not about to let that happen any longer.

The first stop yielded a couple of dozen ripe sound fruit while the second tree blessed us with even greater abundance.


Anna did the honors and grabbed the first fruit.
 


Nick took over soon after and he and I tag-teamed the highest oranges in the canopy.
 


The Harvest was bountiful to say the least!


Nick and his girlfriend Kate dehydrated some for backpacking snacks and made a small batch of marmalade with the rest…which they celebrated with what appears to be an elaborate interpretive dance.
 
 
 


I followed and made a delicious little batch of marmalade as well.
 


While enjoying some of this years home brewed hard apple cider!





It is so cool to experience the whole process… from early season scouting as you find trees with immature fruit, returning with friends and backpacks to harvest, juicing, cooking, cooling, and eventually eating the seasonal and sweet freshly made preserves.

Makes me wonder what we can do with the abundant local pomegranates when they ripen!

Keep the old ways alive!

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