LOW SUGAR GRAPEFRUIT, GINGER & APPLE MARMALADE

If you like your marmalade with a little less sugar and more spice, try Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT) Head of Hospitality Angela Ferguson’s low sugar grapefruit recipe. She uses coconut sugar, a caramel-like sugar that is the boiled and dehydrated sap of the coconut palm. It is much sweeter than white sugar so you can use less. If you are having trouble getting your jams and marmalades to set because you are cutting back on the quantity of sugar used, get some jam setting agent from the supermarket.

INGREDIENTS:
2kg grapefruit, rinsed
4 lemons, rinsed
10 cups water 
2 cups coconut sugar 
6 apples, peeled and grated 
½ cup (100 g) crystallised ginger, thinly sliced.

Cut grapefruit and lemons into quarters, & either thinly slice or put through the food processor. Place fruit and water in a large, heavy-based pan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook fruit for about 15 minutes, or until rind is tender. Reduce heat and add sugar, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Add ginger and apple, increase heat, allowing mixture to boil for about 50 minutes, or until jam reaches setting point. To test if jam has reached setting point, place a spoonful of mixture on a cold saucer and freeze for two minutes. If it has set, it is ready. Transfer jam to hot sterilised jars. Serve with scones, on hot buttered toast, or use as a filling for a sponge cake. It can also be used as a marinade for lamb, by adding wine and mustard into the mix..

Recipe courtesy NZ Gardener, Garden Diary