WHY MAKE BIGARADE ORANGE JAM?

Traditionally in our village, we use bitter oranges to make an aperitif: “orange wine” and jam. So TERROIR-06 also wanted to make jam with the aim of preserving as much of the natural aspect of this fruit as possible: a thick skin, a very slightly bitter juice and a fruit full of flavour.

CULTIVATION OF THE BIGARAD ORANGE TREE

The cultivation of the bitter orange tree (citrus aurantium) is very old in Bar sur Loup. Thus, on our various family plots and the land that we exploit, we have trees of all ages: from centenarians to young plants of the year. The tree is planted in warm soil, ideally in summer, then it is watered, hoeed, amended, pruned (in June after the flower harvest), treated naturally against pests and to compensate for various soil deficiencies. For orange blossom syrup, only the freshly picked flower is used, but for other productions, the browse (green pruning of young branches and newly formed oranges) harvested at the beginning of summer and the oranges harvested at the end of winter will be used from this tree.

MAKING BITTER ORANGE JAM

Made in 3 days using traditional methods, this jam will captivate you. Day 1 Guilhem Codera from TERROIR-06 bleaches the peel to remove the bitterness from the fruit. Day 2: Guilhem macerates the fruit in sugar and cooks it briefly. On the 3rd day, Guilhem carries out a very long final cooking to retain the flavors and confit the peels in their juices.

USES OF BITTER ORANGE JAM

This jam is well-known in English-speaking countries. It’s enjoyed on toast or used to enhance gingerbread, brioche, cakes, or chocolate mousse. In cooking, it can be used to accompany roast pork, Peking duck, or osso buco…