Peel the lemons using a sharp paring knife or a good, sharp vegetable peeler.
Stack some of peels on top of each other. Slice lemon peels very into thin strips about 1 inch long.
Remove as much of the pith (the white stuff left after peeling) as you can.
Slice lemons crosswise. Remove the membranes between the lemon segments. Discard seeds.
Rough chop the lemon flesh.
Place lemon peels in a small saucepan with 2/3 cups water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cook for five minutes to soften peels.
Place lemon pulp and collected lemon juice in a large saucepan with the water. Add softened peels.
Mix powdered pectin with about ¼ cup of the sugar well. (If using liquid pectin, refer to package instructions for quantity.) Add to lemon juice and peel in the large saucepan.
Bring to a boil that can not be stirred down, stirring constantly.
Once boiling, add the remainder of the sugar all at once. Stir constantly until it comes to another full rolling boil (one that can’t be stirred down). Boil one full minute.
Remove from heat. Skim foam if needed. Most of the time, if you keep stirring for a couple minutes after you remove the pot from the heat, you can stir the foam down.
For canning
Heat your jars, lids and canning pot before starting with the jam. For more information on how to easily do this, see our canning for beginners article here.
Ladle hot jam into hot canning jars using a canning funnel and ladle, leaving ½ inch headspace. (the space between the marmalade and the rim of the jar.)
Remove air bubbles with wooden or plastic chop stick or similar tool.
Wipe rims of all debris with a clean, damp cloth or towel.
Center lids on jars.
Screw on bands fingertip tight.
Place jars on the rack in your boiling water bath canning pot. Bring to a boil. Process jars for 10 minutes. Set timer after water has come to a boil.
Once time is up, remove canning pot from burner. Allow jars to sit in the hot water for at least 5-10 minutes so they can start to cool down slowly. This will minimize siphoning.
Remove the jars from the water and place on counter. Leave them for 12-24 hours and then test the lids for a seal. Press the lid in the center. If it flexes up or down, jar is not sealed and should be stored in the refrigerator and used first.
Notes
Makes 2 half pint jars
You need 3/4 to 1 pound of lemons
Remove as much of the fruit pith as possible.
Slice the lemon peel very thin. No more than 1/8 " (3 mm) thick.
Adjust your processing time for altitude. See below.
Recipe can be multiplied but do not do more than 5 times the recipe as written.