Bitter, not so sweet orange marmalade in German style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 orange(s), unsprayed, not too sweet, but no bitter oranges
• 2 lemons
• 700 ml water
• 900 g sugar, not gelling sugar!

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

I’ve been toying with the “English-style orange marmalade recipe” for a while now, because I love the bitter-tart taste of store-bought “Old English Marmalade.” However, since I haven’t been able to buy any oranges all year, even in January, and all other recipes use gelling sugar, I decided to experiment with the oranges available here. Here’s my suggestion: Squeeze a lemon and add the juice to the pot. Discard the peel. Wash the oranges in hot water and brush them to be on the safe side. Halve 3 oranges and squeeze the juice. Add the juice to the pot. Thinly slice the orange peel away from the white and remaining flesh of the squeezed peel, using the fourth orange as a base. Add as much white peel as possible to the pot. Cut the orange peel pieces into very fine strips and add them to the pot. Add about 0.7 liters of water. Bring everything to a boil with the lid closed. Stir occasionally. It can bubble vigorously at first, but not overheat. Then simmer a little more gently. After about 1 hour, remove from the heat. Using a meat fork (long handle) or similar, fish out the now very soft white peel and place it in a sieve. Squeeze it over the pot (pectin). Discard the rest. Stir again and let cool. In the evening, when the orange mixture has cooled, add 900g of sugar. Dissolve it in the cold liquid, stirring occasionally to speed things up. The next day, when the sugar has completely dissolved, bring the orange mixture to a boil with the lid open. Meanwhile, halve the fourth orange and squeeze it lightly. Pour the juice into a bowl. Cut the peel of the orange, including the attached pulp, into fine, oblong pieces. Add to the bowl. Squeeze the second lemon, add the juice to the bowl, and throw the peel in the trash. After about 45 minutes, pour the contents of the bowl into the pot and mix well. Simmer gently. Test for settling. Once the settling test is successful, remove from the heat. Fill about four screw-top jars, screw on the lids tightly, and turn the jar upside down. Turn the jar over frequently at first to prevent the orange peel from floating on top.