Notice how much more fruit there is in the Frog Hollow marmalade (at right)
A good marmalade is a yin yang experience in which the tartness of the orange or lemon peel combines with the sweetness of the sugar base and is perfectly set off by some good butter atop a toasted slice of crusty bread. My friends at Frog Hollow Farm sent me their revised formula which they say has more citrus flavor because the other ingredients had been reduced and they’ve started adding the liquid from the pith, which was formerly discarded.
Marmalades
For comparison, I had a little jar of Dickinson’s which I recalled as pretty good. The ingredients were what you might expect from a mass product including pectin, citric acid (to produce that blast of tartness without relying on the orange peel) and corn syrup. The Frog Hollow Organic Navel Orange Marmalade has nothing but orange and sugar.
The most striking difference is in the appearance which you can see at the top of this post. The Frog Hollow is packed with long strands of orange peel while the competitor has a few flecks of fruit in the pectin base. The flavor of both is pretty good but I’d be a lot happier knowing the tartness came from a direct fruit source instead of citric acid (which by the way is an excellent crutch for many of my lazy preps; I have a bag of it in my kitchen).
And for those who like an extra kick, the Frog Hollow Meyer Organic Lemon Marmalade is a bit more sour, plus it has a definite lemon-y taste . That’s another benefit of using real fruit. An 8 oz jar will set you back $9 (plus shipping if you don’t live in San Francisco) but it’s a worthwhile splurge, especially because a little goes a long way; you’re not going to put this on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (I hope not anyway.) It’s listed on their website under “Spreadable Fruit”.
Mmmm… I LOVE marmalade! I recently taught a “Winter Preserves” class, where we made orange marmalade from just oranges, sugar, and a little green apple for extra pectin power. One student commented on how “orangey” it tastes. Real fruit (and lots of it) makes a world of difference.
I, Like you, also keep a hefty amount of citric acid in my larder. I use it for putting-up tomatoes (sauce, salsa, etc).
Thanks for the perspective Deanna! Re citric acid, I sometimes add it to jarred tomato sauce to give it a little boost. Makes a lot of sense to put it in at the beginning, before it goes in the jar!
Delicious marmalade!. For sure, it’s healthier and tastier to make it at home.
I’m not sure I would agree. Rebecca has made thousands of jars of this stuff. I’ll take her expertise over mine. And healthy? we’re talking about organic oranges grown a few feet from the kitchen. What do you have that’s healthier (considering that marmalade is not necessarily at the top of healthy foods)?