Few people know that for the first time the ancient Indians, who lived on the territory of modern Mexico, began to eat zucchini for the first time. Today, a popular dessert is zucchini jam, which is often added to an orange or lemon.
Zucchini jam is very easy to confuse with pineapple delicacy. High taste of jams complement the subtle notes of orange flavor. A squash in combination with an orange creates a refined and unforgettable taste that will appeal to almost any sweet tooth.
How to choose zucchini and oranges for harvesting
We also note the great benefits of zucchini and oranges in the composition of the treat. Due to the rich vitamin and mineral composition, zucchini can strengthen the immune system, resist pathogens, improve the cardiovascular system, accelerate metabolic processes, normalize hematopoietic processes, promote the production of thyroid hormones.
Orange, in turn, contains a huge amount of vitamin C, which helps in the fight against colds infectious diseases. In addition, a tropical citrus fruit improves the gastrointestinal tract and normalizes liver and heart function.
Breeders made sure that the varieties of zucchini was very much. Moreover, each variety is distinguished by its highlight: the density of the rind and pulp, color, taste, maturation. For the preparation of golden jam, it is recommended to purchase yellow vegetables of mid-season ripening. 
Young fruits are better not to buy, as they can be completely boiled soft and turn into mush. It is best to acquire moderately mature squash with soft skin. In this case, you will get an excellent delicacy with soft, but at the same time dense slices of vegetable.
Important! Remember that the most delicious oranges - with the navel. That is, those in which a tubercle appears on the site of the ovary of the flower.
When choosing oranges, the focus should be on the peel. It should be evenly colored bright brilliant color. It is a uniform color is a sign of ripeness citrus fruit. Be sure to smell the fruit.
A strong pleasant scent indicates that the fruit is fully ripe. If the orange is too soft, it may signal the presence of putrefactive processes in the pulp. And do not forget that juicy fruits are always heavy (due to high density).
Video: how to choose a sweet orange
How to make jam
Below we will tell you the recipe for making aromatic squash jam with the addition of orange. The highlight of this recipe is the fact that in the end we get fragrant crispy transparent cubes of zucchini with a subtle orange flavor.
Grocery list
To make delicacies we need:
- 1 kg of zucchini;
- 2 medium oranges;
- 700-800 grams of sugar.
Get acquainted with recipes for making feijoa, pear, apricot, raspberry, grape, mandarin, blackthorn, cowberry, hawthorn, gooseberry, pumpkin, white sweet cherry, green tomato, quince, wild strawberry, Manchurian walnut, black sweet cherries, red rowan, black and red currants.
It is important to note that in this recipe, the addition of water is not implied, since it can slightly “trim” the taste qualities of the treat. Ginger root, vanilla or other spices are added as desired, but we will make jam with a true orange-zucchini flavor.
Kitchenware
In the process of making delicacies for the winter, we will need the following kitchen utensils:
- kitchen knife;
- pan (capacity from 4 liters);
- Berner's grater;
- wooden dostochka for cuts;
- wooden spatula;
- kitchen scales.
It may not be clear to everyone what a berner grater is and why it is needed. In fact, this is a special vegetable cutter from the German manufacturer, which will allow us to quickly and simply cut the zucchini into small rectangular pieces. However, if Berner’s grater is missing, then you can use a regular knife.
Step-by-step process
If you want to make delicious fragrant jam, you should follow these step-by-step instructions:
- Zucchini peeled and cut along into two parts. Spoon remove from the middle all the flesh, which does not allow to keep the pieces of vegetable whole and crispy.
You will probably be interested in reading about how to make lemon zucchini jam for the winter.
- Grind zucchini on a bernerovsky grater. The resulting pieces are sent to the pan.
Did you know? For the first time, Christopher Columbus brought zucchini to the territory of Europe. And in the XVIII century, this vegetable was already widely distributed in many countries, but it was the most popular among Italians.
- Orange cut into small cubes with the peel and also sent to the pan. Juice, which remained from the fruit after cutting, must be drained into a saucepan.
Did you know? In temperate climates, oranges have a familiar color to us all - orange. However, in tropical climates, these fruits are ... green. They become orange due to lack of ultraviolet radiation (sunlight).
- With the help of kitchen scales, we measure 700-800 g of sugar (the more sour the orange, the more sugar is needed) and add it to the pan.
- The contents of the saucepan need to mix a little. Then cover the container with a lid and leave in the refrigerator for the whole night.
- In the morning we take the pan out of the fridge and set it to cook its contents over a small fire. After boiling the delicacy is cooked no more than 2-3 minutes. When the jam is boiled, it is covered with a towel, and then with a lid, and left in this form until the evening.
- In the evening, you will see that the marrows have already become transparent. We take a wooden spoon and mix everything well, and then boil the jam again for 2-3 minutes. After that, we cover the treat with a towel and a lid and leave it overnight.
- In the morning, give the treat a couple more minutes to cook, and in the meantime, you can begin sterilizing the cans.
We advise you to read about how to prepare zucchini for the winter, how to cook Korean zucchini salad, how to marinate zucchini, as well as get acquainted with the methods of drying and freezing zucchini.
- The finished jam is poured into cans and closed with lids, which must also be boiled.
- We turn over the corked product and cover it with a warm blanket. We leave in this form for about a day, after which we take it to a place for long-term storage.
Important! Before cooking zucchini with an orange, the contents of the pan must be thoroughly mixed. After all, if the sugar sticks to the bottom, then in the process of cooking it can burn.As you can see, making delicious jam requires a lot of time, but believe me, it's worth it.
Features and rules for storing the workpiece
Store zucchini jam can be in the cellar, refrigerator or other cool place. The main condition: the ambient temperature should not exceed +5 ° C. After all, the more the storage temperature of the jam, the less time it will be usable.
Find out whether you can eat zucchini raw, how many contain calories and nutrients and what is good for the body.
In addition, direct sunlight cans or light from other sources should not fall on the dainty jars. I would also like to note that the amount of granulated sugar in the composition directly affects the shelf life.
Experienced housewives argue that the more sugar in the composition, the longer the jam will remain. So, if the proportions of zucchini and sugar will be 1: 1, then the product can be stored for 2-3 years. In our case, you can store a treat for no longer than 2 years. 
What to serve with jam
Zucchini and oranges jam can be eaten with a regular spoon, washed down with tea without sugar. Children love to eat this delicacy, spread it on white or black bread. This preparation can be served with ice cream and other desserts. In addition, tasty and aromatic pies, cakes and other baked goods are made on the basis of zucchini jam.
Finally, I would like to note that in order to get tasty jam, in which the zucchini slices will crunch and remain transparent, you must follow the instructions given in this article. Prepare yourself and do not be afraid to experiment, and on a cold winter evening it will be nice to taste a vitamin delicacy.
