THE CIVIL ORANGE
Iplanted a Seville orange tree in the garden three years ago for the sole purpose of making marmalade. This bitter orange is not for eating, but it does make delicious marmalade. The tree now produces enough oranges for me to make my yearly stash.
I love the dark, slightly bitter taste the Seville orange gives and I always add a wee dram of whisky, so yummy on home-made oatcakes or hot buttered toast. You can find my whisky marmalade recipe on my website.
Growing citrus trees is a simple procedure with low maintenance. To start, dig a hole 1m deep and 1m wide and fill it with good rotted compost. Make sure your tree gets full sun all day long. Even better is a sunny wall.
Water well to settle the tree in and feed it twice a year with good organic compost. If they look like they need a boost, I also feed my trees with Earth Probiotic liquid fertiliser from my food-recycling bokashi bucket. If the tree gets leaf curl, it is best to gently remove those leaves and burn them.
Good companion plants are lavender and comfrey. Comfrey fixes the nitrates that citrus trees love in the soil and lavender helps keep them free of aphids and whitefly.
The Meyer lemon is a relatively small tree that can be planted in a large pot. Citrus trees are not frost tolerant so do cover your trees if you are in a heavy frost area.
For something different, try this spiced orange preserve — delicious served with venison pâté or roast duck or pork.
SPICED SLICED ORANGES
6 Seville oranges 750ml (3 cups) white wine vinegar 900g brown sugar 2-3 cinnamon sticks 5ml (1 tsp) allspice 2 star anise 8 whole cloves 60ml ( 1/4 cup) brandy Scrub the oranges well, cut the rind off in thin strips and set aside. Cut the orange flesh into ½cm slices and remove any pips. Place sliced oranges in a pot, cover with cold water and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the orange slices with a slotted spoon and discard the cooking liquid. In a clean pot, bring the vinegar and sugar to the boil. Add the spices and orange rind and simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the sliced oranges and cook until translucent. Remove from heat and fish out the whole spices and rind. Transfer the orange slices to sterilised glass jars with vinegar-safe lids. Return the spiced vinegar to the heat and boil until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the brandy and pour liquid over orange slices in the jars. If you want a little extra warmth, more cloves can be added to the jars at the end. Store the jars in a dark cupboard for two weeks before using. Makes about 4 x 400g jars. ...................................................