When Life Gives You Lemons, Oranges and Limes... Make Marmalade.

This year's Three Citrus Marmalade is made with lemons, oranges and limes from our garden, local honey, vanilla, and a splash of Margaret River fortified wine.

Story about planting "just a few citrus trees."

There are moments in life when you plant something with the best intentions, only to discover years later that your planning may have been slightly optimistic.

Or in our case, wildly optimistic.

A few years ago, we planted three little lemon trees, two lime trees and an orange tree. A Meyer lemon, a Eureka lemon, a patio Lisbon, Tahitian and Kaffir lime trees and one small washington orange tree. Nothing too extravagant. Just enough fruit for a few homemade lemonades, perhaps a citrus tart, and the occasional bowl of fruit on the kitchen bench.

Fast forward a few years, and winter at Noughts & Crosses now arrives with what can only be described as a citrus avalanche.

Every branch bends under the weight of fruit. Buckets fill faster than we can carry them. The kitchen bench disappears beneath mountains of lemons, oranges and limes, and suddenly every conversation becomes:

"What are we going to do with all these lemons?"

The answer, of course, is "preserve them".

Lots of them.

This year's citrus project was a Three Citrus Marmalade inspired by the flavours of the Margaret River region, combining lemons, oranges and limes with local honey, vanilla and a splash of locally produced fortified wine.

Before any preserving could begin, however, there was harvesting to be done.

Harvesting

The harvest team arrives. Asher immediately claimed management responsibilities while Milly began inspecting fallen lemons for quality control issues.

Asher immediately assumed responsibility for the entire operation.

Despite contributing absolutely nothing to the picking process, she proudly supervised every bucket, every basket and every wheelbarrow load of fruit. By lunchtime, she had confidently informed everyone that she was personally responsible for the success of the harvest.

Milly, on the other hand, approached the situation with her usual professionalism.

Quality Control Section

Head of Security and Quality Control, Milly carefully inspected every lemon before approving it for processing.

As Head of Security and Quality Control, she inspected every piece of fruit entering the kitchen. This mostly involved staring intensely at the citrus, occasionally stealing a strategic sniff, and ensuring no suspicious chickens attempted to infiltrate the operation.

The chickens, naturally, remained unimpressed.

Once the fruit was harvested, washed and sliced, the preserving process began.

One of the wonderful things about marmalade is that it captures winter in a jar. The bright citrus aroma fills the kitchen, steam fogs the windows, and suddenly the cold weather outside feels much less important.

The lemons bring their sharp tang.

The oranges add sweetness.

The limes contribute a fresh zing that lifts the entire flavour.

A grated Granny Smith apple provides natural pectin, while local honey adds a subtle floral note. A touch of vanilla softens the citrus edges and the fortified wine contributes warmth and depth without overpowering the fruit.

As the marmalade simmered away, the colour slowly transformed into a beautiful golden amber.

Meanwhile, Asher continued accepting praise for work she had not done.

Milly continued inspecting the quality.

And I continued chopping, stirring and filling jars.

Somebody has to do the actual work around here.

Preserving Process

One of the wonderful things about marmalade is that it captures winter in a jar.

Sean was in Perth for the day, which may have contributed to my decision to turn the kitchen into a temporary marmalade factory. By mid-afternoon, jars were cooling on every available surface, dehydrated lemons drying for future projects, citrus sugar in progress, and enough sticky utensils to suggest I'd dramatically underestimated how much fruit we actually had. Fortunately, winter abundance is very forgiving of kitchen chaos.

Every jar tells the story of a season.

The rain that fell.

The sunshine that followed.

The fruit that grew.

The dogs that supervised.

The family that harvested.

And the simple satisfaction of creating something delicious from what the garden provides.

Finished Product

Supervised by Milly. Claimed by Asher. 🐾🍋✨

So if you happen to plant "just a couple of citrus trees," consider this your friendly warning.

You may one day find yourself surrounded by mountains of lemons, oranges and limes, wondering what on earth to do next.

When that day comes, make marmalade.

And if you have a dachshund named Milly, be sure to let her supervise quality control.

If you have a border collie named Asher, prepare for her to take full credit for the entire harvest.

After all, that's simply how things work here at Noughts & Crosses.

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