Step Seven: Put your chopped citrus peels and pit, all the seeds you collected, half a cup of lemon juice and two cups of water in a large, nonreactive pot. Use a sharp knife to make this part go a little faster. You’re looking for as much surface area as possible here. Step Six: Chop the citrus peel and pith into 1/4-inch chunks. Step Five: Remove any leftover fruit from inside the peel and discard. Save the juice, you’ll need some of it in a minute! You can freeze the rest into ice cube trays or make yourself a kicking lemonade! Step Four: Cut your fruit in half (pluck out any visible seeds and set them aside), then use a hand juicer to remove the juice. Save the zest to use later in cooking and baking! Basically, take your zester or a vegetable peeler and remove the skin. Step Three: Remove the thin layer of outer skin on the fruit. Remove any dirt and then towel dry the fruit. I used 9 Eureka Lemons that were gifted to me by my sister-in-law from her backyard tree. Citrus seeds are also high in pectin, so we’ll be using those too. Choose varieties that have a thick layer of white pith for best results. You can use any type of citrus you like, however, lemons, grapefruit and oranges contain the most natural pectin. You’ll need a few hours and there is an overnight soak involved, so plan ahead. Since I don’t think many of us have access to apple pomace, we’ll be making pectin with citrus peels and seeds. The chief sources of commercial pectin are the peels of citrus fruits, and to a lesser extent apple pomace (residue from cider presses). Its thickening properties also make it useful in the confectionery, pharmaceutical, and textile industries. ![]() What IS pectin?Īccording to Encylopedia Britannica, pectin is any of a group of water-soluble carbohydrate substances found in the cell walls and intercellular tissues of certain plants.īecause of its ability to form a thick gel-like solution, pectin is used commercially in the preparation of jellies, jams, and marmalades. Making jam, jellies and marmalade! They’re safe, shelf-stable and the jars fresh out of a boiling water bath are certainly clean! But wait, you can’t find pectin because there is a shortage just like toilet paper and paper towels? That’s all right, we can make our own homemade pectin using citrus peels. It’s understandable and thankfully there is a solution. Sharing with friends and neighbors seems to be appreciated, but in this climate of COVID-19, people seem to be more hesitant about home-made goods. This is a double-edge sword as I love to bake (totally my love language) and cook, but that requires eating whatever I’ve created, which is not always what’s best. Lately, it feels like the kitchen is where I spend most of my time.
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