Need a fun weekend quarantine project? Try this citrus marmalade recipe

Some people keep quarantine journals. I’m preserving my memories of this time with, well, preserves. This year, the sometimes overwhelming abundance of citrus that fills the trees in Southern California feels like a lifesaver.

Marmalades take longer to make than most jams because you need to boil the citrus skins into tenderness and boil away the bitterness of their pith. Once the sugar goes in, the mix needs to cook again to infuse the peel with sweetness and thicken the syrup into something spreadable. It takes a few hours — which is a good thing when trying to pass the time at home on a long weekend holiday.

(Genevieve Ko / Los Angeles Times)

And the results are as delicious spooned on toast as they are over grilled pork or chicken.

Citrus Marmalade

Time 2 hours 30 minutes, plus cooling

Yields Makes 6 (half-pint) jars