One of my absolute favourite things about what we do at Single Variety Co is the people we get to work with. The farmers, the growers, the people who are completely obsessed with their fruit and their land, and the growers behind our Etna Fire Blood Orange Marmalade are exactly that.
A family, a volcano, and 90 years of farming
Carmelo farms in Sicily, in the shadow of Mount Etna, on soil formed from centuries of volcanic activity and the fertile deposits of the Simeto River. His grandfather, also called Carmelo, began working this land over 90 years ago.
The philosophy Nonno Carmelo began with still guides the farm today: agriculture should be practiced with respect for the land, for the people who work it, and for the people who eat what it produces. You can feel that in every conversation I've had with Carmelo. He talks about his trees the way I talk about our jams. With real pride and real love!
What makes the Etna Fire blood orange so special
The Etna Fire variety is genuinely unlike anything else I've come across. The clue is in the name. The extreme temperatures on the slopes of Etna, swinging from as low as -4°C to as high as 25°C in a single winter day, are what drives the deep red colour in these oranges, both through the flesh and on the skin. Carmelo told me the same variety planted anywhere else simply doesn't produce the same result. The volcano is doing something that cannot be replicated.
What you get is a blood orange with incredible colour, real aromatic depth, and a sweetness that is nothing like the bitterness you might associate with a traditional Seville marmalade. This is the blood orange marmalade for people who think they don't like marmalade. Bright, fruity, intensely flavoured, with just a gentle tang. I'm so excited for you to try it!
Farming the right way
What sealed it for me, beyond the fruit itself, is how Carmelo and his family farm. No pesticides. Instead, they regularly release beneficial insects into the fields to naturally protect the plants. The farm runs on solar energy. They use modern irrigation to minimise water use. And crucially, they harvest only when an order comes in. No cold storage, no preservatives, no wax on the skin. The oranges travel directly from the grove to us, fully edible and completely natural.
A limited edition, while it lasts
Some of you might remember that we used to make a blood orange marmalade years ago. It was popular, but I always felt it could be better. So we've spent a long time working on it, and the team in the jam factory have been quietly perfecting the recipe until the blood orange flavour really sings.
So after lots of failed attempts and recipe re-writes... I've got to say, I think we've nailed it!
Like all of our seasonal releases, it's made while the fruit is at its best, and when it's gone, it's gone until next season.
Don't want to miss it? You can sign up here to be notified as soon as it's available to buy.
We hope you love it!
Founder, Single Variety Co
