Satsumas this Year

I will not bore you with my satuma trees woes but.........

I picked some today, because the neighors seem to be enjoying them already. LOL

They are a little small but I actually got 4 quarts............

I looked and can't find my Sure-Jel, so it will be at least Sunday or Monday before I can attempt to make satsuma jelly. I have never heard of it before, nor orange jelly or lemon or lime, maybe a marmalade but never a jelly. I wonder why?

I have and probably will again this year made Satsuma syrup. Its really good when making pecan pies, glazes, and it will wake your mouth up on hoecakes.

When I start canning I will zap some more pictures, I will probably do at least a dozen Ball jelly jars.

Anyone ever done citrus jelly?

 

Here's my story, Issac scared me, my tree was so big the weight of the tree let alone the when the fruit is on, should have split it. So for the first time in 30 years I decided to Cut back the big tree. I did my homework and it was all correct. The year after you cut one back you get zero fruits, where you cut it you will lose additional tree beyond it. If you cut here, it will die an additional 3 to 4 feet. So you trim knowing this.

The next year no fruit, so in my infinite wisdom, I decide I should feed it, and I did!

This year it came out really beautiful then started dying. All the upward growth, all of it for about 10 ft. dead. No idea why, I had a sapsucker that became infatuated with my tree but.....  So I have holes in the middle from the pruning and dead creep back, I have lost 10 ft off the crown, and I have 100's and 100's of small satsumas on all these little sucker limbs.

Here's a thread I started and answers recived.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/144631/citrus-oranges

BTW I am looking at recipes and had thought of marmalade, but my peels are so nasty I couldn't ever do it.

Have you ever tryed jelly? Anything else but just eating them?

 

I was thinking maybe a bourbon satsuma, alcohol always wakes up citrus. I hate to keep using up all my good run....LOL All my cayennes are already red and dry so they wouldn't work.

BTW I really appreciate you sharining about your trees.

 I am thinking if nothing else the satsuma jelly would make a nice pork glaze. The syrup worked great.

 

Its akin to a Mandarin Orange or a Tangerine. Its of Chinese origin, and is very cold tolerant, seems I red they can stand down to 12 degrees somewhere. But they usually loss their fruit with the first freeze cause it ruins the fruit.

Just another citrus which is popular in Louisiana.

 

Ok, made two little batches of jelly today. First batch had 4 cups of sugar to a quart of juice, second had 3 cups.

Made 12 cups of jelly. Sister snatched up two and my little "grand niece" took two also for her and her Mom....LOL

Is grand neice correct or am I missing some proper kinfolks name there? She came to show her great grandpa her "Tinkerbell" costume with blinking lights!

I added a drop of food color to regain the proper color which was lost while boiling to the botton ones.

AND NO old maids!!

 

Results.....

4C 's made fine, 3C's didn't, but could be adjusted I believe with more cooking since I understand more now.

Funky smell, although taste alright. Can't explain the smell, when the lid is on, when first opened you have to smell the jelly right, is stinks. Open the jelly and a min. later smell its ok, its disipated. <shurgs>

4C's is really too sweet and you lose some of that satsuma twang.

Going to have to work on it to get a premium final product. These jars will make good pork glaze materials though.

 

Doh, I lost one. Entered here earlier and I guess the board gremlins got it........ Curse you Board Gremlins!!

Nothing else to do today, LOL This is two qts. of squeezed and filtered Satsuma juice. I am just a citrus squeezin motor scooter! I walk in the dairy barn now and the cows look around very uncomfortably! LOL

Two qts. of the good stuff.

Sugar, Sur-Jel, and heat yields 18 jelly jars.

A better picture so you can see they beautiful enhanced color. I made it orange like Satsumas, it would have been more yellow like lemon had I not added some secret sauce.

Tried something different on some of these too. I'm Coonass what can I say, so I added some spices to some. Just a little Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove. Hoping for a even more twangy jello. I am still under the assumption there would be good to glaze pork, not too bad on toast.

I forgot to mention, I have two more

So anyone want to come help tomorrow?

I wonder, anyone ever tried making screwdriver jelly before? I have had jello shots..... Hmmmmmmmm....... <rubbing my chinny chin chin>

Thanks for dropping by and looking in........