Quick marmalade help!

Sunnyday

I need a bit of advice please, i`ve just made a batch of lime marmalade and it wouldn`t set no matter how long i boiled it for.

I reached in the fridge for my emergency bottle of pectin and added half and have now bottled up the marmalade and it`s cooling in the kitchen.

I started to clear up the dishes and read the recipe on the side of the pectin bottle and also read this "once opended use within 7 days" :eek:

It`s been open for months - in fact anything up to a year since i last needed any so do you think it will be ok or would it affect the marmalade?

It has a sell by date for 2010 but the fact that bothers me is how long its been open, would it ruin the marmalade which i had hoped to store for up to 12 months or would it just not be as effective at setting it?

Normally these dates don`t bother me and i ignore them but i`m not clued up on how long this really keeps for.

SD

Sunnyday

Well it`s made and set and tastes beautiful!

If anyone has any idea about the pectin let me know and i`ll check back later.

SD

Beki

I've just found this - i don't know if it's certo you use, but it sounds the same?!

"
Q: Why does Certo need to be refrigerated after opening and used within 7 days?
A: Certo is a dilute solution of pectin and sugars from apples. It is an ideal medium for yeasts and moulds that could destroy the pectin and turn the sugar into alcohol. There is enough preservative to stop this happening immediately, but only if the Certo is kept refrigerated, and used in a limited time.

Q: My Certo has passed its “Best before date”. Is it still safe to use?
A: It will not do you any harm, but it is likely to give a poorer set to your jam. It is best to get fresh supplies of Certo."

Taken from http://www.certo.co.uk/FAQ.htm

Seakay

The only danger in using old, already opened pectin is that it will have deteriorated and will not set your preserve so well.
It won't affect the keeping quality at all.
Congratulations on your marmalade, I'm sure that the only thing that will stop you eating it this time next year is that it is so delicious it will all be gone!

Penelope_Penguin

Sunnyday wrote: »

Well it`s made and set and tastes beautiful!

If anyone has any idea about the pectin let me know and i`ll check back later.

SD

If it's set already there won't be a problem; any bugs that there might have been in the pectin will have been nuked in the boiling Enjoy your preserve :T

Penny. x

Sunnyday

Wow ! thanks Beki & Seakay :j

My mind is at rest now. It was certo that i used and i`m sooo happy that the marmalade isn`t spoilt

Thanks again.

SD

EDIT - Thanks Pen Pen!

Primrose

So glad your marmalade has set. It often does once it cools down but if ever you have this problem again have a spare lemon handy as use the juice instead of Certo. We normally make our marmalade in the microwave in a big deep bowl. It never needs boiling longer than 20 minutes and no stirring needed wither. Did you try the cold plate testing method? This will always tell you if your marmalade has reached setting point even when it's boiling hot. Just put a plate in the fridge or freezer to get really cold and when you think setting point may have been reached drop a blob of the mixture onto the cold plate and return to the fridge for a few minutes. If it starts to crinkle, it's reached setting poing.

Sunnyday

OO i never thought about lemons and i`ve got quite a few in the fridge!

I did use the cold saucer to test for the set but never found it

The rest of the certo is now in the bin, i shall replace it at some point just to have an emergency standby.

Thanks

SD