Canning Citrus Sections

Six jars of canned citrus sections in syrup, from pale grapefruit to deep red, beside whole oranges, grapefruit and a lemon

5 from 2 votes

Canning citrus sections puts sweet, tender orange and grapefruit sections on the shelf for winter. They're packed in light syrup or juice and processed in a water bath canner, ready to spoon over yogurt or into a fruit salad.

Prep Time1

Cook Time10

Canning Time10

Total Time1 20

Course: Fruit Canning Recipes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: canning citrus sections, canning grapefruit, canning oranges, citrus canning recipes

Servings: servings, makes 9 pints

Equipment

Water Bath Canner

Ingredients

13 lbs citrus whole, as purchased; oranges, grapefruit or a mix
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar optional, see notes
5 3/4 cups water
Pectic Enzyme Liquid optional, for pith removal, see notes

Instructions

Wash the fruit. Peel it and separate it into sections, removing as much white pith and membrane as you can, since that's where bitterness comes from. For extra-clean sections, soak them in the pectic enzyme solution (see notes) for 3 hours to overnight, then gently rub and rinse them and drain well.
Fill a water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 1 inch, and heat it to about 140 degrees F. Wash the jars, lids, and bands, and keep the jars hot until you're ready to fill them.
Make the light syrup: heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves, and keep it hot while you pack the jars. See the notes for other syrup strengths, juice, or water.
Pack the raw citrus sections into the hot jars, gently but firmly. Ladle the hot syrup over them, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Slide a bubble remover around the inside of each jar to release trapped air. Recheck the headspace and add more hot syrup if needed to bring it back to 1/2 inch.
Wipe the rims, apply the lids, and screw on the bands fingertip tight. Lower the jars into the canner and bring the water to a full rolling boil. Process half pints, pints, or quarts for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Turn off the heat, take the lid off the canner, and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes before lifting them out. Cool them undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check the seals.

Notes

Yield: Plan on about 13 pounds of whole fruit for a 9 pint canner load, or about 15 pounds for 7 quarts.

Syrup options: For a 9 pint load, heat the sugar in the water just until it dissolves.

Extra light: 3/4 cup sugar and 6 1/2 cups water
Light: 1 1/2 cups sugar and 5 3/4 cups water
Medium: 2 1/4 cups sugar and 5 1/4 cups water
Heavy: 3 1/4 cups sugar and 5 cups water
Extra heavy: 4 1/4 cups sugar and 4 1/4 cups water

Juice or water: You can pack the sections in hot, pulp-free citrus juice or hot water instead. Juice is my choice for no added sugar. Water works, but the flavor is flatter.

Citrus choices: Any citrus is safe to can this way. Small sweet oranges like mandarins, clementines and satsumas are quick to section and hold their shape. Navels and Cara Caras come out softer. Grapefruit pith is hard to remove and can turn bitter, and so can Valencias. Lemons work but take a long time to section, and limes are close to impossible.

Bitterness: Bitterness comes from pith and membrane left on the sections. A soak in 1 tsp of pectic enzyme to 1 gallon of cold water loosens it but doesn't dissolve it, so rub and rinse the sections after soaking.

Altitude adjustments: Processing time for half pints, pints and quarts in a water bath canner.

0 to 1,000 feet: 10 minutes
1,001 to 6,000 feet: 15 minutes
Above 6,000 feet: 20 minutes

Storage: Use the jars within 12 to 18 months and refrigerate after opening. The syrup is good in drinks and smoothies.

Nutrition