making marmalade



It's that time of year again when the supermarkets and greengrocers have enticing displays of bright orange, knobbly Seville oranges, which despite their unattractive appearance surely make one of the most delicious preserves possible!



If, like me, you love making jam, then buying a kilo or so of the fruit and turning it into a pot of amber coloured marmalade, is a must. A delight even!


Of course, some people may wonder at this.
 After all it is possible to buy very good marmalade, whereas making your own does entail quite a lot of chopping and standing over a hot stove.
 To some people, drudgery




Which just shows that, one person's pleasurable task is another's chore.

So what constitutes a chore?
Some people hate ironing, whilst others like it.
I dislike washing up whereas some ( though not that many it has to be said!) profess to finding it enjoyable.

Perhaps it is simply down to attitude.
Perhaps even chores can be enjoyable when approached in the right way and pleasure found in the mundane if we look for it.
Or maybe I am being just being wildly romantic and idealistic !

Is it possible to love hoovering?

What do you think?


Meanwhile, back to the marmalade which I made following Delia's tried and tested recipe.



Lovely!


Comments

  1. Wow, that marmalade looked delightful. Oranges are definitely on the shopping list.

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  2. That looks wonderful. I made some last year and am too lazy to do it this time around...
    As for chores: I think some things just can't be made enjoyable. Cleaning the bathroom, for example. Or in my case: hoovering with quite possibly the most useless hoover ever. It makes me angry even thinking about it.
    Enjoy your beautiful marmalade!
    S

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  3. I prefer to make marmalade & jam than to buy, the action of making it really even though it works out more expensive. Ermm hoovering never to be enjoyed but I do like the stairs to be bit free so a necessary evil x

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  4. That looks like a particularly good batch of marmalade. I enjoy the ritual of slicing oranges for marmalade. Definitely not a chore. Ironing, hoovering and washing up however....

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  5. Such a beautiful post! As always, your photos are stunning...as is your marmalade! Making something delicious is never a chore... cleaning up afterwards can be.

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  6. Mmm, it looks delicious. I like to make my own jam, I've never tried marmalade though, don't know why.

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  7. I love homemade marmalade but have only made it once. All of that chopping isn't for me (nor the subsequent scrubbing of the burnt bits on the specially purchased pan!). I find baking is never a chore but I'm no lover of housework (unlike my dad who used to brush the carpet with a toothbrush).

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  8. Well done, you! No marmalade making for me this year as we still have masses from last year - from frozen seville oranges. I think I left them hanging around too long before freezing as they were the very devil to set. But I so love the scent of bubbling marmalade.

    There are lots of domestic activities that I find quite meditative. I really like to iron shirts and fold them carefully for putting in the drawer. And baking or making soup when I'm in the mood. Mending clothes, hemming, darning are also satisfying though I do tend to leave those hanging around a while before I set to.

    The noise of the hoover drives us all nuts, cats especially!

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  9. It's the nicest thing to do, even though it's fiddly. I just don't think you can beat the taste of proper home made marmalade, not to mention the colour burst that it delivers and that amazing citrus scent.

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