OT (so OT): When marmalade reaches the candy stage

So. There we were, with too many blackberries, and too little time.

We'd already made up a few dozen, 375ml. jars of blackberry jam.
Thrown countless quarts into 6.5 gal. carboys for wine. Let several
litres simmer into sauce for sundaes and waffles. All duly bottled
and steam-processed for the larder and jam cupboard.

But, still the blackberries continue to come on and ripen. What to
do??!

"Ah," said Alison, "why not make up some orange-and-lime marmalade,
substituting blackberry juice for the water usually called for in the
ingredients?"

Hours and hours later, having pressed through a sieve many, many
quarts of blackberries. Then, as for the oranges and limes ...
quartered all, separated pith from pulp, chopped & minced the peels,
soaked overnight, and next day simmered gently, etc. etc.

26, 375-ml jars later. Done in three batches.

And I hafta tell ya, the second batch ... I was watching the clock,
but well, time rather ran away from me, and methinks we have managed
to can several jars of blackberry-lime-candy ... 'cuz that batch, I
boiled it 'til it fair frothed ... a swirling, vulcanic mass of
froth ... and I knew that something different had happened.

Guess I should have known that something thick was afoot when the
stuff was gelling long before I brought it to the boil!!

So, we have 18 jars of a deep purple, clear marmalade, pungent with
the flavours of lime, orange and blackberry, the orange taking
somewhat of a backseat in this affair.

And we also have eight jars of stuff that can only be called taffy.
Canned!! Hoo-haw! (please, please, what in heaven's name, are we
supposed to do with that stuff ...! )

Adventures in putting food by in autumn,

from the Annapolis Valley,

Alison
;-)

p.s. Yes, yes, well we know that cardinal sin #1 was making this all
up, not using (gasp!) Seville Oranges. Serves us right. ;-)