John's Sunshine Marmalade

Chunky, old-country style marmalade like a ray of sunshine first thing in the morning. Added tang from the "wee dram" of Scots whisky! In January, when Seville oranges are available in our supermarkets, I make 6 - 10 batches of this marmalade. Why? Because I have a large following of friends who think it's the best orange marmalade they have eaten! I started making it a few years ago when my wife Peg attended a weekend-long quilting retreats and left me unsupervised. The 2003 vintage produced 90 X 250 ml jars.

• Ready In: 5 hrs
• Yields: 12 250ml jars

Ingredients

• For one batch

• 6  seville oranges
• 1  lemon
•  water, to cover fruit
•  sugar, equal to volume of fruit
•  cooking  Scotch whisky

Directions

1. Cut oranges and lemon in half, squeeze out the juice, remove and save all the seeds.
2. Using a chef's knife, not a food processor or blender, slice the rinds, with fruit pulp still attached, into slivers, thick and thin and of the length you prefer.
3. Place all the cut fruit and the juice into a large, stainless steel pot and add just enough water to cover.
4. Place all the seeds in a cheesecloth bag and drop in the pot with the other ingerdients (I tie a string to the neck of the bag and tie an end to the pot handle, making sure the bag is submerged).
5. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat and let simmer for about 2 hours Let cool over night.
6. Next day, remove bag of seeds and squeeze out the liquid back into the pot.
7. Place pot over heat and using your eye, add enough sugar to raise the level of the mixture to twice its original height, that is, if there are 6 inches of fruit in the pot, add white sugar until the pot has 12 inches of mixture in it.
8. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid scorching and boil for at least 30 minutes until the marmalade will set when placed on a china a plate and cooled in the fridge for ten minutes.
9. Pour at least 1/4 inch of cooking Scotch- your favourite- into clean preserving jars (I use Bell's when using a blend or Glenfiddich when using a single malt).
10. Top each with marmalade.
11. Add caps and lids to jars and place them into a boiling water bath for at least ten minutes then remove to cool.
12. Make sure jars"snap" to confirm their seal.
13. If you give any away to friends, they will be quick to return the empty jars and raves about your wondeerful marmalade!
14. Great for breakfast on your favourite toast.
15. Sorry if the quantities are a bit vague- might be a"guy thing".