I was not going to make any more jam- ever- and then I unearthed an old jar of marmalade from deep in the cupboard. It has gone dark brown with age. But undeterred by its sombre appearance and the date on the label, (2010), I decided to live dangerously, carried on and ate some for breakfast.
Two days later, I'm still here and now I want some more. You can only get these oranges (Seville) in Jan/Feb. They are very bitter, totally inedible unless saturated with sugar. But oh! What a treat they are when cooked.
At the market, I spied a pile of them, glowing in the gloom that is January in England. The wind howled and flecks of icy rain whipped my face as I made my purchase. I couldn't wait to get back home, in the warm. As the woman measured out my treasure, I felt so sorry for her having to stand there in the cold all day. She is always cheerful and works so hard. In a mad moment, I hear myself asking " Would you like a jar of marmalade?"
Her face lit up.
" I'd love one! I'll tell you what," she said, "I'll throw a couple of extra oranges in for mine!"
Whereupon she hurled what looked like half the pile into the bag and happily handed it to me.
Well. I don't know if you know this but to make jam, for every pound of fruit, you add 1lb of sugar. But for marmalade, because the fruit is so bitter, it's 2lbs. And she had given me 4lbs of fruit!
So, after staggering home with the oranges, I had to make another trip to get more sugar. I took a backpack.
And jars! Where am I going to find enough jars? Argh!!
That was yesterday. Today, I've just made the first batch. Only 2 more to go!
It's Marmageddon.
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