Home Made Fig Jam
My Grandmothers fig preserves includes whole chunks of figs which have been cooked until they have been mellowed.
Her recipe, is quite old, and tried and tested time and time again. Fig trees were abundantly commonplace throughout Gibraltar when I was growing up, so this recipe was, I assume, made during the peak of the summer season, when figs were at their sweetest.
My Grandfather would regularly use this jam as his breakfast staple, and would smile at my grandmother, and tell her she bottled the “taste of summer” every time.
I hope you try this recipe out, as it’s well worth the 30-40 minutes out of your busy schedule to try it.
Ingredients
Fresh figs - Let's start small - 454 grams
150g granulated sugar
Half a cinnamon stick- do NOT use the powdered version.
Juice and grated rind of half small lemon
Instructions
1
In a large saucepan combine all ingredients under medium low heat. Stirring until mixture begins to simmer.
2
Cover and simmer for about 25-30 mins stirring occasionally . When the mix thickens you need to stir continually to avoid it sticking to the base of the pan and scorching.
3
To test Jam consistency place a small amount onto a plate, allow to cool slightly and run a line through the middle of the mix with your finger, if the finger trail does not fill in your Jam is ready.
4
I usually heat my jars in another saucepan for about ten minutes.
5
Using tongs I remove the jars from the water, and allow to stand for roughly 30 -40 seconds to allow some of the water to dry out.
6
Then fill the jars with the Jam. Leave about 1/2 inch headspace, and place the lids on.
7
Normally you would put the sealed jars back into the canner and boil them for 10 minutes if you are making a big batch like I did (I made 3 kilos originally as u can see on my photo below), and you want to store these for some time after. That's a lot of Fig Jam, but in my defence I was prepping for my Christmas baskets.
8
What 3 kilos of fig Jam look like.
9
Cosy kitchen corner breakfast starring fig jam
