Mutual marmalade making
By Fleur
@Fleura (29097)
United Kingdom
March 21, 2023 7:41am CST
The other day my friend sent her husband (who is Czech, which may have affected the outcome!) to do the grocery shopping. She asked him to get some oranges so he bought a bag of what he thought were ordinary oranges.
When he got home and gave one to one of the children, a problem came to light – he had accidentally bought a bag of Seville oranges which are horribly bitter and chock full of pips! They are only available in late winter/early spring and are sold for making marmalade.
It seemed they might be destined for the compost bin as they are inedible raw, and my friend (nor her husband) didn’t know how to make marmalade.
But then I suggested the obvious solution – bring them round and we can make marmalade together 
So at the weekend she came over with the oranges, we supplied the sugar and the cooking facilities, and we made the remaining 12 oranges into 11 jars of delicious marmalade, which we shared between us – and had a fun afternoon together into the bargain. And she learnt how to make marmalade. A real win–win situation.
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2023.
So at the weekend she came over with the oranges, we supplied the sugar and the cooking facilities, and we made the remaining 12 oranges into 11 jars of delicious marmalade, which we shared between us – and had a fun afternoon together into the bargain. And she learnt how to make marmalade. A real win–win situation.
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2023.16 people like this
15 responses
@BarBaraPrz (45437)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
21 Mar 23
I love marmalade... now. Didn't when I was a kid.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45437)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
21 Mar 23
@Fleura Of course yours is the best. Can I have some with today's toast?
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29097)
• United Kingdom
21 Mar 23
@BarBaraPrz Sure, just hold your buttered toast up to the screen and I'll spread some marmalade on it 
2 people like this
@JESSY3236 (18885)
• United States
21 Mar 23
I never had marmalade, but I love the song. Similar thing happened to me. When I went to NJ, I asked my boyfriend to get me some apples and bananas. He got me red delicious apples which were too tart and the bananas were too ripe.
2 people like this
@Fleura (29097)
• United Kingdom
21 Mar 23
@JESSY3236 Of course! I never even made the connection
1 person likes this
@marguicha (215189)
• Chile
22 Mar 23
I love orange marmalade. When oranges are a bit bitter I make carrot-orange marmalade and it is sweeter.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157494)
• United States
21 Mar 23
I did not know it takes special oranges to make marmalade, this sounds like a fun solution to the poor choice of oranges.
1 person likes this
@Jenaisle (14078)
• Philippines
21 Mar 23
That's wonderful. You shared your knowledge and helped them resolve the problem. You're a good friend. I wish many friends would be like you - being there through thick and thin. I still have to taste orange marmalade, and I still have to learn too.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (98734)
• India
21 Mar 23
Now suppose you tell me costing aspect...so that I can tell you who really got the advantage.
How much did those oranges cost?
How much for sugar?
How much for power to prepare the marmalade?
How much for traveling to and fro your place?
Was it worth the effort, could it not have been done on smaller scale?
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29097)
• United Kingdom
21 Mar 23
Funnily enough I did try to work that out so I could decide if it was fair to keep five of the jars.
I don't actually know how much the oranges were, and I can't find a price although I searched the supermarkets online, I guess they are out of stock now (they are only available for a very short period). I think they were about £3.50. The friend also brought some sugar (about 600g) she had spare.
Travel didn't cost anything as she walked (she lives about half a mile away).
I contributed 2 kg sugar at 99p per kilo, plus two lemons at 20p each.
Then I also contributed use of the kitchen and necessary equipment, jars, and teaching, plus of course the fuel used to cook it - I don't know how much that would be.
In the end I concluded that we should share it about evenly, so I gave her 6 of the 11 jars and kept five.
It could have been done on a smaller scale but making half would use more than half the time and therefore cost - economy of scale at work here - so it was better to do it together. Plus also more enjoyable!
@allknowing (130067)
• India
21 Mar 23
I have always liked marmalade specially that subtle bittier taste. Good thinking indeed.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73241)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
21 Mar 23
Glad you were able to make marmalade,
1 person likes this
@leighnyork (1880)
•
21 Mar 23
It is a good thing that you helped your friend out to make Marmalade.
1 person likes this
