Until a couple of years ago, I’d never come across anyone with a fig tree. Recently, I’ve met two people growing them locally. This year’s been a good one for figs and I’ve been offered surplus from both people. Whilst I enjoy eating them raw, large quantities have a debilitating effect on my digestive system! Not nice when you’re a wheelchair user.
Originally posted in 2013
In the circumstances, I thought I’d better look for something else to do with them; a trawl of the internet produced a number of recipes for fig jam:
Cut the stalk and the hard bit at the bottom of the fig off, then cut the figs into bite-sized pieces, skin and all.
Weigh them and make a note of the weight.
Put them into a large pan with 100-150gm of water. Simmer them, with a lid on the pan, until the skins are tender – about 10 minutes.
Then add half their weight of jam sugar (sugar with added pectin) along with the juice of a large lemon for each 1 kg of fruit. When all the sugar has dissolved, bring it to a rapid boil; stir to ensure it doesn’t stick.
Boil for 10-15minutes until the setting point is reached.
Setting Point
This is the temperature to which the jam is boiled, so that when it’s cold, it’s set.
Setting point is 105°C (221°F) when you test for it using a sugar thermometer.
An alternative method is to put 4 or 5 side plates in the freezer when you start to prepare the jam. Hard boil the jam until it goes glossy (usually 10 – 15 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and pour a spoonful of jam onto one of the plates. When it’s cold, push it with your finger; if it wrinkles, it’s done. If it doesn’t, boil it for a couple of minutes more and try again. It’s a good practice to test using the plate method even if you’ve tested the temperature.
Be careful not to boil it for too long, you’re not making toffee!
Bottle it into sterilised jars. Jars can be sterilised by washing them well and then heating them in a cool oven 140°/120°C Fan (285°/250°F) for 10 minutes.
It’s great just spread on toast and would also be nice served with strong and blue cheeses, instead of a chutney.
See more jam, sauce and preserve recipes:
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