One of the best things about having fig trees is the ability to make fig jam and preserve the harvest. We often make variety-specific or flavor profile-specific jam to obtain a certain color or flavor profile, but you can also mix a bunch of figs together for the recipe below.
For example, we'll often make a batch of jam with only dark berry figs (Salem Dark, Malta Black, etc) to obtain the color that you see in the left jar above. We'll also make batches of "honey fig jam" (right jar above) using only honey figs like LSU Gold or White Marseilles.
We don't use any artificial flavorings or colorings with our jam. The color of the figs will dictate the color of your jam. It all tastes great, regardless of color. But if you're wanting a certain color, you can choose certain types of figs for your jam.
You might be wondering how many figs you need to make the following recipe and how many jars of jam it will make. A large mixing bowl (like the one Abram is holding in the picture below) will be enough figs to double this fig jam recipe. A double version of this fig jam recipe will usually yield 6-7 pint jars of fig jam. A single recipe will usually yield 3 pint jars.
Preparing the Figs to Make Jam
Figs typically don't have a long shelf life after being harvested, so try to harvest the figs within a couple days of your intended jam making date. Rinse the figs and remove the stems with a knife.
For an average or medium-sized fig, cut them into quarters. For a larger fig like an LSU Gold or GE Neri, you might want to cut each fig into 6 or 8 equal-sized pieces.
Place the cut figs into a saucepan and cook them on low to medium heat. Sometimes we'll add a small amount of water to the pan so that the figs don't burn. I also like to use a potato masher or similar kitchen tool to lightly chop the figs as they cook and soften.
Continue to cook the figs low and slow until they're at your desired consistency. We prefer a more chunky jam, so we don't cook ours to the point of complete emulsification. But if you don't want any fig pieces in your jam, you'll need to cook it longer.
Once the cooked figs have reach your desired consistency, take them off the heat so they can be measured for the recipe below.
The fig jam recipe below is adapted from the instructions that used to be included in the pink box of Sure Jell Low Sugar pectin. They no longer include the instructions in the box, and so that's why we felt a need to write this blog.
We often double this recipe when making fig jam. This is because our hot water bath canner holds 6-7 pint jars, which is what this recipe will yield when doubled.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2.5 Cups Cooked Figs
- 1 Pack Sure Jell Low Sugar Pectin (the pink box)
- 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
- 1 Cup Water
- 3.5 Cups Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Butter
DIRECTIONS:
1) Use a dry measuring cup to measure the exact amount of fruit into a large saucepan. Add lemon juice and water.
2) Measure the exact amount of sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3) Add 1/4 cup sugar from the mixing bowl, 1 pack of Sure Jell (pink box), and 1 tsp butter to the saucepan. Butter helps reduce the foaming once the mixture starts boiling.
4) Bring the saucepan contents to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
5) Stir in the remaining sugar and return to a full rolling boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.
6) Immediately ladle into hot jars and secure with lids.
7) Place jars in a boiling hot water bath for 10 mins to seal the lids.