Sunny Southern Preserved Oranges

Mama's Kitchen (Hope)'s Note:

After searching Zaar for recipes to use up or preserve a TON of oranges left over from the holidays I could not find anything that would allow me to use them all. So I used the old fashioned way- digging through those index card boxes that are overflowing with clipped and copied and scribbled recipes saved over years and found this easy way to preserve all those fresh oranges in a yummy syrup. I posted the recipe in a small quantity so that you can use the calculator to adjust for larger amounts.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 pint

• 2 large oranges
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water

OPTIONAL

• cinnamon stick
• cardamom pod
• clove, etc

Directions:

1. Peel oranges and cut in ½ inch slices.
2. Place orange slices in a large pot and add 1 cup cold water for each whole orange.
3. Cover and let stand for 24 hours.
4. After 24 hours bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender.
5. Add sugar and lemon juice and continue to cook until transparent.
6. Ladle fruit and syrup in sterilized jars and seal.
7. NOTE: This recipe card was really old and handwritten- it did not say to process in a water bath- just 'seal'. Also- the sugar/water ratio can be adjusted weaker or stronger depending on your preference.
8. Modern bottling directions: Fill hot, sterilized jars quickly with the hot mixture, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
9. Wipe the sealing surface of the jars with a clean paper towel, dampened with hot water, to remove any syrup or sugar crystals.
10. Place lids, screw on bands finger-tight and process jars for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Reviews

[Mami J]

I made this with 6 oranges and added a cinnamon stick and three cloves. They are very good, the orange slices look so pretty that I know I'll be using them to garnish all kinds of desserts (drinks, maybe? :)) Thanks for posting Hope!

[Chef Kate]

I followed the recipe, adding a cinnamon stick and a couple of cloves to the mixture. The Result was very good but not as intense an orange a flavor as I would have hoped. I think that adding at least a portion of the orange rind back in would help. I will however make this again--it may just be that my oranges were not the most flavorful.