Easy Homemade Fig Jam

Do you like figs? Don’t knock them until you have tried them. As a child, I have fond memories of climbing fig trees at a friend house and eating them until my stomach would hurt. Fig season starts in late July/August or at least at our farm here in Georgia. This year, our trees are full and ready for my first picking. I decided to make homemade fig jam. This was my goal this year. You see, I have never had fig jam, and I love figs. Every year, I wanted to make it, but I usually thought about it too late. Well, not this year! I am so glad I did. Fig jam is delicious!!!

I picked approximately 5 pounds of figs, and my recipe yields about 5 pints of jars. It can vary depending on the added liquid and pectin. The next picking I didn’t weigh, but we got six and a half quart jars. This recipe is so easy that you can process the figs and can them with minimal clean-up.

What You Will Need?

You will need the following items to use the water bath method;

• Large, deep pot with a lid (tall enough for water to cover jars by at least an inch).
• Metal rack or silicone trivet to keep jars from dancing on the bottom.
• Mason jars
• New lids, and bands (check for nicks; a chipped rim means a failed seal).
• Jar funnel
• Bubble remover (a chopstick works)
• Jar lifter
• Clean dish towels.
• Ingredients in the recipe
• Immersion blender or Food processor

I recommend this enamel water bath canner kit it has everything you need to get started.

Recipe

• 2 lbs fresh figs, stems removed and quartered
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 whole lemon juice (fresh is best)
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
• 4 Tablespoons of water (optional, depending on fig ripeness)

Instructions

1. Cut the stems off the figs and discard.
2. Cut the figs into quarters.
3. Put all ingredients in a saucepan or pot and stir.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is simmering.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
6. To make the fig jam smooth, optionally pulse it with an immersion blender until desired consistency.

Next following the water bath canning instructions. If you don’t proper seal the jar you must refrigerate. Follow USDA-approved canning methods. Never “wing it” with ingredients when preserving.