Figgy Jams

Picking anything at Uncle Pat's place in the Texas Hill Country means I had better be prepared to deal with the abundant consequences.  When we went out to pick figs I already had my Ball Blue Book of Preserving out with the recipe for Fig Jam marked and the needed ingredients were in the house.  

Choose figs that are ripe, very ripe, and not quite ripe, but discard those that have gone beyond ripe and now smell punky or fermented.  Wash them and cut off any bad spots.  These recipes are for 5-pound batches of figs, so measure your fruit out into approximately 5-pound lots.  Since figs have their own natural pectin and there is no need to add powdered or liquid pectin you can vary the amount of fruit slightly, but keep in mind the size of your pot and the number of canning supplies and  jars you have prepared.

Fig Jam, recipe from the Ball Blue Book

5 pounds Figs

6 C Sugar

3/4 C Water

1/4 C Lemon Juice

(For Jalapeno Jam, add 4 to 5 finely chopped peppers without seeds to the figs and proceed according to the recipe directions.)

To prepare figs:  Completely cover figs with boiling water; let stand 10 minutes.  Drain, stem, and chop figs.  (chop size is entirely up to you- I like 'pieces' in my jam, so I chop them larger.)  Measure 2 quarts chopped figs.

To make jam:  Combine figs, sugar, and water in large heavy pan.  Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Cook rapidly to gelling point.  As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.  Once gelling point is reached add lemon juice and cook 1-minute longer.  Remove from heat.  Skim foam if necessary (I didn't find it to be).  Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Balsamic Fig Jam

2 1/2 tsp whole Peppercorns

5 pounds Figs

3 1/2 C Sugar

1 C Balsamic Vinegar

5 tsp Lemon Juice

Tie the peppercorns into a cheesecloth bundle (I used a teabag filter for looseleaf tea).  Proceed with the recipe above, preparing the figs with a boiling water soak, etc.  To make the jam put all of the ingredients together into the pot and continue with the cooking as directed above.  Do not be alarmed if the mixture smells strongly vinegary as you are cooking it, the sharpness is cooking out and the sweetness will be the over-riding flavor when it's finished.  The finished product is even suitable for an ice cream topping!

Now, go get figgy!