Canning Mandarin Oranges

We were at it again, breaking out the canner and a few bags of fresh fruit.  All three kids love clementines.  I buy the single serve packages of Dole Mandarin Oranges virtually every week.  So when I saw 3 pound bags of clementines for $2, I picked up three bags.  

The girls went to work peeling the fruit and removing as much of the pith (white skin) as possible.  The pith will make the oranges bitter.  I sterilized pint and jelly jars.  The process is incredibly simple, first you pack the fruit into the jars.  

Next cover the fruit with a light syrup of 5 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar.  Heat the syrup to dissolve the sugar and ladle over the fruit.  Fill the Half Pint Mason Jars, leaving about a half inch head space.  Use a Bubble Remover (plastic tool) to remove any air bubbles. 

Wipe the rims of the jars with a wet paper towel and add warm lids & ring and fingertip tighten. You don’t even need a Pressure Canner for citrus they can be processed in a water bath in a large stock pot.  Process in a water bath at a full rolling boil for 10 minutes for all sizes of jars.

Now, for the price comparison, my canning 9lbs of Halos yielded 192 ounces of oranges at a cost of $6 vs. $26.16 for the store bought option!  AND, mine has no additives just oranges, pure cane sugar and water! 

And in case you were wondering, Mandarins are a class of oranges that are flatter on both ends, have a mild flavor and are very easy to peel. Tangerines and clementines are mandarins. Clementines are the smallest member of the mandarin family and are seedless. 

Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce;

Proverbs 3:9