BOTTLED MANDARINS

Bottle fresh mandarins in water, honey, fruit juice or syrup to enjoy all year long! Serve preserved mandarins with yoghurt or chia pudding, on top of a leafy green / walnut salad, as part of a cheese platter, decorating desserts – they’re delicious with vanilla ice-cream - or simply enjoy straight from the jar. This recipe can also be used for clementines, grapefruit, oranges, pomelo, tangelos and tangerines.

   

Ingredients for BOTTLED MANDARINS
	Yield: 1 litre (4 cups)	Yield: 4.5 litres (18 cups)	Yield: 7 litres (28 cups)
Mandarins (Firm, Sweet)	900g (2 pounds)	4kg (9 pounds)	6.3kg (14 pounds)
Pectinase (Optional)	1 teaspoon (approximately – refer to packaging)
Water, Citrus Juice or Syrup	Refer to syrup chart below for syrup ingredients and quantities. Very light, light or medium syrup is recommended.

METHOD:

1.  Weigh fruit to determine the bottling yield. Choose mature fruit that is firm and sweet.

2.  Sterilise all equipment by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well before use.

3.  Wash and peel mandarins, discarding white pith (this causes bitterness in the preserved fruit).  

4.  Optional: Place mandarin segments into pectinase water (i.e. 1 teaspoon pectinase dissolved in 2.5 litres water) to soak for 6-12 hours to dissolve the pith. Repeat washing, peeling and soaking with the remaining fruit. Pectinase soaking can be done at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight.

5.  Prepare jars by boiling in a pot of water for 10 minutes before filling (if required).

6.  Soak lids in hot water (not on heat) for at least 5 minutes before use.

7.  Prepare syrup (if using), ensuring all sugar has dissolved. Refer to syrup chart below.

8.  Heat water, citrus juice or syrup until hot.

9.  Drain mandarins and gently rinse with fresh water. Drain fruit.

10. HOT PACK: Combine fruit and hot syrup (off heat) to warm fruit through.

11.  Remove jars from hot water and place onto a heatproof surface i.e. tea towel.

12.  Pack hot jars with the hot (or raw) fruit to 1cm (1/2 inch) from the rim of each jar.

13.  Add hot syrup (or other liquid) into each jar, filling to 1cm (1/2 inch) from the rim of each jar.

14.  Using a non-metal utensil, remove any bubbles and add more hot syrup/juice if required to correct the headspace if it dropped below 1.25cm (1/2 inch) from the jar rim. Excess syrup can be frozen for later use.

15.  Wipe jar rims with a damp paper towel to remove any food residue.

16.  Remove lids from hot water and seal jars i.e. twist to secure “fingertip tight”.

17.  Process jars in water bath or pressure canner as per charts below:

BOILING WATER CANNER (WATER BATH):

18.  Return jars of bottled mandarins into the pot of boiling water and boil for the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes back to a full boil.

19.  Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface i.e. wooden board or towel. Do not adjust lids during this time.

PRESSURE CANNING (DIAL OR WEIGHTED GAUGE):

18.  Place sealed jars into the pressure canner and secure the pressure canner lid. Put onto heat and vent for 5 minutes (begin timing once the white steam is constant). Then add weights (or cover) and bring to the required pressure level for your altitude (see charts below). Once the pressure is reached, process for the time stated in the charts below for your altitude. Reduce/increase the heat source to keep the pressure at the constant level.

19.  Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Allow the pressure canner to return to zero and then remove the lid (be careful, lid and canner will be very hot). After 5 more minutes, remove jars from the pressure canner and place them onto a heatproof surface (i.e. wood board or a towel). Do not adjust lids during this time.

20.  After 12-24 hours: check jars have sealed before labelling and dating clearly.

21.  Store jars of bottled mandarins in a cool, dark and dry place (i.e. pantry) for up to 12 months. Jar lids should remain tightly sealed during storage, and not flex up or down when pressed (which indicates jar seal failure, do not consume).

22.  Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 5 days.

 

NOTES: 

o  1/4 teaspoon citric acid can be added to each litre/quart jar to help retain colour, if desired;

o  Pectinase may also be labelled as pectic enzymes. It is used to clarify wine and homebrew, as well as citrus pith/membranes – resulting in jewel-like preserved fruit! Pectinase is available from homebrew stores (and online) in powdered or liquid form.

Check the packaging for dosage and water quantity required.

 

Syrup Chart for BOTTLED MANDARINS
Syrup	Sugar %	1L (1 quart) batch		4.5L (9 pint) batch		7L (7 quart) batch
Very Light	10%	1 1/2 cups water	3 tablespoons sugar	6 1/2 cups water	3/4 cup sugar	10 1/2 cups water	1 1/4 cups sugar
Light	20%	1 1/3 cups water	1/4 cup sugar	5 3/4 cups water	1 1/2 cups sugar	9 cups water	2 1/2 cups sugar
Medium	30%	1 1/4 cups water	1/2 cup sugar	5 1/4 cups water	2 1/4 cups sugar	8 1/4 cups water	3 3/4 cups sugar
Citrus Juice	varies	1 1/2 cups fruit juice		6 2/3 cups fruit juice		10 2/3 cups fruit juice
Water	0%	1 1/2 cups water		6 2/3 cups water		10 2/3 cups water

   

Processing Time for BOTTLED MANDARINS in a Boiling Water Bath
	Jar Size	Altitude ≤ 1,000 feet	Altitude 1,001 - 6,000 feet	Altitude > 6,000 feet
Hot Pack	≤ 1 Litre (quarts)	10 minutes	15 minutes	20 minutes

     

 

Processing Time for BOTTLED MANDARINS in a Dial Gauge Pressure Canner
	Jar Size	Processing Time	Canner Pressure at Altitude ≤ 2,000 feet	Canner Pressure at Altitude 2,001 – 4,000 feet	Canner Pressure at Altitude 4,001 - 6,000 feet	Canner Pressure at Altitude 6,001 - 8,000 feet
Hot Pack	≤ 1 Litre (quarts)	8 minutes	6 PSI	7 PSI	8 PSI	9 PSI
Raw Pack	≤ 500ml (pints)	8 minutes	6 PSI	7 PSI	8 PSI	9 PSI
	≤ 1 Litre (quarts)	10 minutes	6 PSI	7 PSI	8 PSI	9 PSI

 

Processing Time for BOTTLED MANDARINS in a Weighted Gauge Pressure Canner
	Jar Size	Processing Time	Canner Pressure at Altitude ≤ 1,000 feet	Canner Pressure at Altitude ≥ 1,000 feet
Hot Pack	≤ 1 Litre (quarts)	10 minutes	5 PSI	10 PSI
Raw Pack	≤ 500ml (pints)	8 minutes	5 PSI	10 PSI
Raw Pack	≤ 1 Litre (quarts)	10 minutes	5 PSI	10 PSI

 

Author: Megan Radaich          

Image Credit: Megan Radaich          

Publication: www.foodpreserving.org

Mandarin Jelly

Mandarin Jelly
Processing: Boiling Water Canner 10mins
Storage: 12 months +
Yield: 5 cups per batch
        
Juicy sweet mandarins, made into a delicious jelly! This is a great way to use up excess fruit during the citrus season. Have jars of this sweet jelly ready in your pantry, to spread onto toast or serve with brie and crackers, and it's delicious warmed as a glaze on chicken or duck .... my favourite way is on puffed crackers with yoghurt cheese and a little mandarin jelly on top :)
    
Ingredients:

6 cups mandarin segments

2 cups water

2 tablespoons powdered pectin
5 cups white sugar
      

Day 1: Make mandarin juice.

Peel mandarins, discarding outer skin and majority of the white pith. Measure segments into a large deep pan. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer 15mins, manually mashing after 10mins (don't puree). We want to extract the juice, not break down the seeds (which will turn the juice even more bitter). Leaving the seeds in the segments also boosts the pectin content of the juice. Drip puree overnight through a jelly bag, muslin cloth, 3-4 layers of cheesecloth or a clean pillowcase in the refrigerator.

   
Day 2: Measure juice.

Measure 4 cups of mandarin juice into a large deep pan. It may taste a tiny bit bitter, depending on how sweet the mandarins were. Freeze any excess juice.

   

Prepare jars.
Prepare jars by covering in water and boiling for 10 minutes.
    
Whisk pectin into mandarin juice.
Combine juice and powdered pectin in a large, deep pan. Whisk well. Whisk occasionally over high heat until it comes to a boil.
    
Rolling boil 1 minute. Skim foam.
Once the juice is at a full boil, add the sugar all at once. Bring to a rolling boil (cannot stir down), holding there for 1 minute before turning the heat off. Skim away foam.
    
Prepare lids.
While you are making the jelly, place the lids into a pan of previously boiling water. Do not simmer or boil, just let the lids heat through in the few minutes while you make the jelly and then fill the jars, removing the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.
       
Ladle hot jelly into hot jars.
Immediately spoon hot jelly into hot jars, leaving a 1/4 inch (0.5cm) headspace. Remove bubbles, wipe rims and seal.
   
Boiling water canner processing.
Process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes (start timer once water returns to a full boil). When time is up, turn heat off and rest jars in water for 5 minutes before placing onto a towel-covered bench overnight to cool.
      
Next day: check for seals.
Check jars have sealed before labelling and storing in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 12 months.
    
For more photos of this recipe, visit HERE