Editorial

Jo McCarroll wants to hear from marmalade-making “Super” heroes.

Back in January there was an interesting note published on the letters pages of the British newspaper, The Guardian. Mr Terry Swann, from Sheffield, reported that his wife had just – rather optimistically, in his view – made 8kg of marmalade. “She is 77 and I am 78,” his letter continued. “Which of the three of us will last the longest?”

Well that one letter set off a positive flood of marmalade-related correspondence from Britain’s senior citizens to that newspaper.

A Mr David Hitchin, from Hertfordshire, responded saying that he had also just made 8kg and was about to turn 84; Mrs Jaqueline Ferrier, of Devon, wrote in to say her 88-year-old husband had just finished making 18kg of marmalade “and he will probably consume it all himself – given the opportunity”; while Mr W Paul Wilkinson, from Warwickshire, said he (aged 90) had just spent three hours slicing orange peel for his wife (aged 95) as she planned to make her annual 18 jars.

So great was the response of British marmalade makers in their 70s,

80s, 90s and 100s that a Guardian readers’ senior citizens marmalade-making club was proposed – it should definitely be called the Life Preservers, don’t you think – while the founder of the annual International Marmalade Awards, held in Cumbria for more than 15 years, weighed in to remind correspondents that they might be eligible to compete in the IMA’s extremely popular octogenarians-and-over class.

Now regular readers will know already that NZ Gardener has long been an advocate for marmalade. Just a couple of years ago, in response to news stories saying marmalade consumption was falling worldwide, we staged a nationwide campaign to promote the consumption of said spread asking you to share recipes, stories and original marmalade-themed poetry that might inspire non-marmalade eaters to try it.

And when we were running that campaign, I received floods of letters and emails – far more than we were ever able to publish – from Kiwi readers who were making marmalade while well into their 70s, 80s or 90s and, in one instance, while also legally blind (this is true).

Now what this data suggests is pretty clear to me, and I am sure also to you. Marmalade – making it and eating it – appears to play a key role in longevity (is that because it is a preserve? Possibly). This is a potentially significant scientific breakthrough and it makes it more important than ever that we spread the good word on this good spread.

I thought a great way to do that would be to find and celebrate

New Zealand’s most experienced marmalade makers. I am looking for particularly productive preservers who can become the poster pensioners for the life-lengthening benefits of the regular consumption of this tangy breakfast spread. Three people will be named by this magazine as New Zealand’s Marmalade Super Heroes (so-called as you must be eligible for New Zealand super in order to be considered) and each will be rewarded with a selection of citrus trees from my friends at Waimea Nurseries.

So if you are a passionate marmalade maker, let me know. Email me on mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, or write to me at NZ Gardener, PO Box 6341, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142. You will just need to tell me your age, how much marmalade you make each year, how long you have been making it and what you do with it. Feel free to tell me your secret ingredients, favourite recipes or share pics if you have them too. I will publish the most inspiring and amusing entries in a future issue of this magazine.

Have a great August in the garden everyone!