Have you ever tried figs? Some people love them and some hate them. I sure do love them myself. Sweet with a little crunch. When we bought our current home we were blessed with fruit trees, we have 2 satsuma trees (easy to peel and small sorta like a cutie) 1 lemon, 1 grapefruit, 2 peach trees (that have since died) and a fig tree. And this year our fig tree is producing like crazy!! Everyday I pick at least another 10 figs. We cant let these go to waste and they ripen so very fast. So Fig Jam it is. My mom always talks of the yummy fig and lemon Jam she had as a child with lemon rinds in it. So I had to follow suit with this recipe with thinly sliced lemon rinds.
Start with your fresh figs, thinly sliced lemons (deseeded) and sugar. Mix gently and let sit in refrigerator overnight or at least 6 hours.
Cook them in a heavy bottom pot. Your very best. Mine happens to be past down from my grandmother, Memaw and I just love it.
Start your figs on a medium heat.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, for about a hour.
watch the figs take on a lovely color.
They will shrivel and the juice will be a deep tea color. check the check the jam by dipping a spoon into the syrup, removing it and running your finger along the back of the spoon. If the syrup separates and holds it’s stance briefly, your preserves are done. If the syrup is watery and runs together as soon as your finger is gone, cook the preserves a bit longer.
Ladle them in your jars. Be sure to had the juice as well to the top.
Let them cool off on the counter top and then refrigerate for up to 2 months or you can continue on a process them in a water bath for 5 minutes.
So pretty!!
Enjoy on your favorite toast, English muffin, biscuit, etc.
English muffin for me please. Memaw would approve
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Fig Jam
Slighted adapted from PBS FoodIngredients
2 heaping quarts perfectly ripe figs
1 quart granulated sugar
1 lemon, sliced thin, seeds removedWash your figs thoroughly, but treat them with gentle hands. Broken figs will cloud the syrup and will not hold up during the cooking process. Lots of folks remove the stem. I do not. I like the way it looks in the finished product. So that’s your call…In a medium bowl, gently toss together the figs, the sugar and the lemon slices. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to make the jam, remove the figs from the fridge and transfer everything in the bowl to a heavy bottomed stainless steel or enamel coated cast iron pan. Bring the figs, sugar and lemon up to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Allow the preserves to cook at a good simmer for up to an hour. Try not to bother them too much, as the more you stir, the more figs you could potentially break.
Over the course of an hour, the preserves will take on the color of strong tea and the figs themselves will shrivel, but amazingly hold their shape. For a lot of jam recipes, it’s important to skim scum from the surface like mad. For these, it doesn’t matter so much. 45 minutes in, check the preserves by dipping a metal spoon into the syrup, removing it and running your finger along the back of the spoon. If the syrup separates and holds it’s stance briefly, your preserves are done. If the syrup is watery and runs together as soon as your finger is gone, cook the preserves a bit longer. Ladle into your jars and these will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months or you can process them in a water bath for 5 minutes until sealed.
