First time for everything Fig Jam!!!

This weeks been full and I’ve been procrastinating and stalling any way possible so that I didn’t have to do my tax. Alas, I eventually started it this afternoon after a calf injury put me out of action for the next week or so.

BUT!!! Before then injury I managed to make my first batch of FIG JAM. I put out a message to my neighbours asking if they would like fig jam and they came back with a resounding “YESSSS!!!”

First job was to track down figs, which turned out to be a little more tricky than planned.
Then my Mom mentions her local market is selling figs for R44 per kilogram and I jumped at it! Four kilograms please!

Unfortunately when the figs arrived I found out they were FROZEN FIGS 🥶. Well I can always make a plan and so I did. Figs went into the freezer to save for another day and then on Tuesday I pulled them out to defrost (well two kgs of them - not the whole lot).

Figs macerating in sugar

I’m learning that the trick with using frozen fruit is to completely defrost the fruit and then to let it macerate in sugar either overnight or for a few hours at least. This helps the fruit firm up and maintain its shape. If you skip this step it will turn to purée which is fine for a smooth jam, but I much prefer a slightly chunky and fruity consistency.

So here’s my recipe for a sticky, chunky Fig Jam that isn’t too overloaded with sugar.

FIG JAM

INGREDIENTS

2 kgs figs (I used frozen figs)
½ cup lemon juice
1.4 kgs sugar
3 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup water

METHOD

defrost figs overnight
cut figs in half and add the figs, sugar and lemon juice to a large bowl and allow to stand (macerate) until most of the sugar has dissolved in the liquid drawn from the figs.
add all the contents of the bowl to a large thick bottomed pot and bring it to a rolling boil with the lemon zest
stir every 2 minutes to prevent burning on the bottom
add the cup of water if the mixture is too thick

Boil for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to medium for a further 15 minutes
I found the jam thickened quite quickly
test the jam by putting a teaspoon of jam on a cold plate (put it in the freezer before cooking the jam) the jam should set quite quickly. Run your finger through the jam after a minute and if it doesn’t run back into the space then it is ready.
I usually keep an eye on my wooden stirring spoon and the inside of the pot. When the level of the jam has dropped and a ring of jelly-like jam is on the inside of the pot then it’s usually ready. It also looks deeper in colour and more glossy / jewel like.
If you prefer a smooth jam you can use a potato masher to mash the figs or a stick blender in the pot to break up the figs into smaller chunks.

Pot the jam up immediately in hot jars (I put them in the oven at 100C 20 minutes after I start cooking the jam).

I found a very useful silicone pot holder that protects my hand that holds the hot jam jar while I spoon the hot jam into it. It took a little while to find it and it looks like a chicken head, but I can’t bottle jam without it!