Tag: marmalade

Marmalade: reduced sugar.

I had a difficult mathematical calculation for a woman of limited mathematical ability: how to calculate the right ratios for a ‘reduced sugar marmalade’ (without resorting to sugar substitutes) from the existing figures!

I had the specific amounts of ‘sugar to fruit’ from Earlybird, who had success – then googled to see what recipes were out there. Not many. I didn’t have the amount of water I should use. And anyway I had a different weight of oranges than any of the recipes I found!

Anyhoo, maths and estimates done, this is what I came up with:

Reduced Sugar Marmalade

2kg Seville oranges, 4 litres water, 2 lemons, 2.75 kg sugar.
(My original recipe has a ratio of ‘fruit to sugar’ of 1:2: so 2kg of oranges would require 4kg sugar- so the reduction in this recipe is significant) Continue reading “Marmalade: reduced sugar.”

Nesting?

A scratching behind the television intrigued Pippi Long Stocking who tried to get in to investigate.
I put her in the (f)utility (if a woman’s work is never done, why start?)  while I investigated, by pulling out the TV corner-unit, and taking off the room-side cover of the air-vent installed a few years ago (as a daft requirement of having the walls insulated.)
I fully expected a nest of mice. Inside, to my amazement was a little sharp-beaked bird. Possibly a tree-creeper, but difficult to be sure. All I could see was a silhouette of a flapping small thing. Continue reading “Nesting?”