To make only 2 – 1 pint jars:

6 oranges

2 cups of sugar

1/4 cup of lemon juice

Cut oranges into quarters. Use a spoon to separate the orange and rind into two separate bowls. Julienne the orange peels. Put pulp in a cheese cloth and tie it up.  Place the rinds in large pot, cover rinds with enough water to just above the rinds. Boil for about an hour and a half or until rinds are tender. Poor two cups of sugar in pot and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Place the bag of orange pulp in pot with any orange juice. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the bag and use a spatula to press any juice from the bag and place in large pot. If mixture does not thicken after another 15 minutes, just add two tablespoons of fruit pectin and cook for 5 minutes. Set the pot aside to cool down. Test for thickness every few minutes as the mixture cools down. Place in two 1 pint canning jars. Place the 2 jars into a large pot of water and boil for 15 minutes. Check the lids for vacuum. Lids should seal once the jars have cooled down.

My first try at making Orange Marmalade!

Canning… The boiling water method or pressure canning method, and which one you use for what!  I highly recommend the Complete Book of Home Preserving by the Ball Company! It has over 400 recipes! As a beginner, this book is gonna be my canning bible!

Well, I tried my hand at pickling Okra that I had grown in buckets! It worked.  That required the boiling water method. I also learned that in order to can corn, green beans, etc. I’ll need to use a pressure cooker. I never thought canning could be so complex and yet fun at the same time. So, even if I actually have to read a book to learn how, I’m enjoying it.

My bucket garden produced over two gallons of Okra, as much in Jalapeno’s, Pablano’s,  Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Cabbage and Collards! These buckets spanned all the way around my 10×20 porch!

Today, I’m making my first batch of Strawberry Jam and Orange Marmalade! Wish me luck…

Who says you can’t have a bucket garden when you live in a camper! Actually, this year my bucket garden got a little out of hand and took over everything!