Rosemary & Mandarin Marmalade Recipe

Written by Fat and the Moon April 01, 2020
It ain’t always easy to get Rosemary or citrus peel in the daily diet. Rosemary is snubbed for cilantro and the peels of mandarin, orange or lemon are merely the obstacle to get to the inner flesh. Well, it’s a damn shame. Especially since Rosemary is one of those special enlivening nervines, with a long list of medicinal properties, and the peels of citrus actually contain the highest amounts of Vit C in the whole fruit, not to mention that they are chalked full of flavonoids! Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants and anti inflammatories that bolster the integrity of our vasculature, and immune system. Mandarin peel has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a lung and digestive herb, for fullness and phlegm. 

  

This marmalade recipe is a beautiful and delicious marriage of both of these underrated ingredients, and will make it easy peasy to get a good dose of their medicines- on toast with butter. Not bad.



Ingredients:
5-6 large mandarins or small oranges or lemons, chopped into quarters then sliced very finely
Handfull of fresh rosemary, cleaned and tied up in cheesecloth
Honey or other sweetener to your taste, start at 1 cup
A cup or two of water
About 3 teaspoons Pectin, follow the instructions on the packet for the ratio

Instructions:
Chop citrus, and slice. Remove seeds. Simmer the citrus and water for about 20 minutes, then add rosemary in the cheesecloth into the pot. Simmer with rosemary for 10-15 minutes, tasting along the way for the right balance of flavor. After 15 or so minutes, remove the rosemary bundle. Continue to simmer the marmalade until the peels are soft. You can remove from heat, and let sit overnight if you’re patient like that. When the peels are soft, add your sweetener, then follow the instructions for the pectin. Jar up and can or just let cool and pop in the fridge.