Dear Cakehead,

This warmer-than-it-should-be Thanksgiving weekend, my grandmother informed me that she often freezes fresh oranges and grapefruits sent to her by relatives in warmer climes. Some months (or years?) later, she works this frozen citrus up into marmalade and other unspecified victuals. Being a lover of fresh fruit, and homemade jams concocted out of fruit fresh off the tree, I was a bit dismayed to hear of this use of fresh fruit. But my question: does my grandmother, being a daughter of the Depression, know something I don't know about how to use fresh citrus most thriftily--should I be freezing my tangelos and keylimes now that we're in recession? Clarification and recipes eagerly awaited.

Sincerely,
Lemonhead Wishing He'd Frozen His Assets

Dear Lemonhead,

People who came of age during the Depression do love their freezers. There is nothing my grandmother does not freeze. Cheese, yogurt, apples, I could go on. The link between freezing and the Depression era is an interesting one that I'm still investigating.

If it's a thrifty approach to making marmalade that you seek, there is a case to be made both for and against freezing. The pro-freezer school would suggest that by freezing your citrus, the cellular walls are broken down with the thaw. This breakdown means the time the ingredients spends on heat can be reduced by about five minutes. We're not sure whether you cook with gas or electric, but we're certain that there are savings with the five minutes shaved off cooking time. And although not a monetary reason, research shows that frozen oranges are easier to slice up.

The pro-fresh fruit school would argue that you will need to pay for about 10% more fruit to make a proper marmalade that is not runny. Also, freezing tends to reduce the pectin levels so you'll need to add the juice of one large lemon to each 1lb 2oz of fruit if making marmalade. So you could save paying the cost of a lemon by using fresh fruit. We've also heard reports that if working with frozen fruit, you will need to invest in more sugar.

Five minutes of electric/gas cooking versus 10% more fruit, a large lemon and extra sugar. We would rule with sticking with fresh fruit in these tough economic times. And we'll be sure to update when we know more about the Depression era love of the freezer.

In the meantime, here is a historic recipe for marmalade that has survived many a depression, recession and repression.

Happy marmalading,
Cakehead