A.K.A. my attempt at Binging with Babish’s orange marmalade recipe from the movie Paddington

• 

• 

• 

• 

So I’m standing there in the grocery store on my lunch break, staring at the canning section that they hide back near the paper towel pyramids and next to the tupperware. I must have walked by it a million times but this time I actually took a minute to look at everything.

It all started when I discovered my love for pickled eggs. You know, the ones floating in some suspicious jar at the end of a bar counter that surely nobody actually eats? Those ones. I was working a bus trip to North Conway, New Hampshire. The trip was basically a train ride around the mountains and then shopping on your own in the quaint downtown main-street they’ve got, which is probably best known for their old-fashioned shop, Zeb’s General Store. Zeb’s got everything, but my love of pickles brought me to a display and there I found spicy pickled eggs. I love pickles, I love hard-boiled eggs, sooooo I bought them. Long story short I fell in love, but pickled eggs are hard to find in stores around me and I don’t have the time to hike all the way to North Conway just for some eggs, so I decided to make them. (A post for another time.)

But why stop just at eggs? My friend Kenan and I tried our hand at homemade pickled cucumbers and they came out delicious, especially considering I found the recipe in a tiny magnetic calendar with a new one each month that came in the mail and my boss gave to me because she didn’t want to throw it out.

So as I stood in the supermarket, a little overwhelmed at the different canning supplies by Ball, I decided I wanted to try making real preserves. Almost as if Babish heard this thought, he released the very next day his video “Marmalade from Paddington“. Definitely go check it out, and his whole channel for that matter, because he makes amazing videos that are fun and educational.

I transcribed the whole recipe down and Kenan and I got to work following it to a T. I was nervous about getting the pectin right, the skins soft enough, and definitely about canning it in hot water so that the seals all popped down, but they did! The marmalade set and came out perfect! I took Babish’s advice and added a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg for more spicy flavor but I’m sure it would have delicious without as well.

In the end it was a super fun adventure and I know that I will be trying more recipes to come! Check out Babish’s video and give it a try for yourself too!

P.S. I wish I could say that those fabulous nails are mine, but alas they are Kenan’s. Thanks to him for the photos =)

Thanks so much and stay tuned! ❤