A glut of figs isn't something I've had to deal with before, but luckily we've got some friends in the village who have three huge fig bushes in front of their house and they don't really like figs!
I picked a good sized bag full and then set about making some jam. I never bother looking at a recipe, just weigh the fruit once it's been topped and tailed and then add the same quantity of sugar (2 1/2lb of each). I did add a large cooking apple to give the mixture a bit of extra pectin to help it set and make it go a little further.
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| A Rev Wilks apple - a good early cooker |
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| The finished bottles |
It reached setting point pretty quick and wasn't a difficult jam to make. I have only tried a bit of it so far but its got a lovely subtle taste to it. It made five jars but it still helps keep our jam stocks up!
Anyone else made jam with something that wasn't run-of-the-mill lately?
Mmmmmm Fresh Figs. Like you we've never had enough for more than eating fresh as they ripen.
ReplyDeleteNormally I'd eat any I'd come across straight down but I think this quantity would have certain "effects" on me so best to make it into a preserve!
DeleteFig jam is very nice with some crusty bread and a sharp flavoured or salty cheese like Cheshire/Lancashire and Goats' cheese.
ReplyDeleteI made some Apricot and Mango jam a couple of months' ago, didn't have the quantity of apricots for my recipe so added a mango which was very ripe.
Now I love both fruits but together whey were something else! VERY tasty jam.....all gone! (I did give a couple of jars away!).
You should try the making the medlar chutney on the river cottage website - it's amazing. Probably the best I've ever tasted with cheese and crusty bread!
DeleteFigs in brandy is good for using up fig glut, you just wash pack in a jar and cover with brandy, lovely at christmas with some ice cream, I did a figgy marmalade last year that is lovely on toast.
ReplyDeleteThis year I have been jam free never mind it gives me chance to use up all the previous years jams and then I can back to it next year.
The figs in brandy sounds good - although we never have any spirits in the house really as neither of us are big drinkers. I like the fact it's easy to do!
DeleteI need to organise my jams better as I'm always stumbling across a batch of jam I forget I made!
I've never made Fig Jam, I don't like figs, but I think it's more to do with the texture of them, so making jam might be a good option once our babies fig trees start producing, that's if I can stop Lovely Hubby from eating them all whenever he passes.
ReplyDeleteI've got three tress started from cuttings but they're along way off giving me jam amounts! I think he'll be eating them fresh for a while yet!
DeleteI usually do fig jam - it is one of my favourites! - but I do it in a slightly different way: I add less sugar, because I find the figs already so sweet, so the proportion is roughly 1 sugar - 0.7 figs. I also add a vanilla bean (opened and the content scooped out) and lemon zest, I find these add a nice flavour and make the jam less heavy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have any vanilla (I looked but couldn't find it) else I would have added it . the main reason I keep the sugar up is so it will keep a long time. I make a lot of jam and it's good to know it will keep until I need it.
DeleteOnce I made Ficus erecta jam. Ficus erecta is a native tall tree in the southern part of Japan, and its small fruit (less than one inch long) tastes quite similar to figs. Figs are very popular fruits in Japan.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed its jam.
You've got me thinking now - I need to do some research on this "ficus erecta" to see if it will grow over here and tolerate our frosts! Thanks!
DeleteWhat about Figgy pudding, Kev? Where have we heard of that before?
ReplyDelete"Now bring us some figgy pudding."
It's from that great Christmas carol: "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." Apparently years a go they use to make Christmas pudding with figs!
I've never had it with figs in though. It sounds great, like a really stodgy pudding for a cold night!
DeleteI make fig chutney and fig jam, then dehydrate as many as I can because they make the most munchiest of snacks!
ReplyDeleteWhen you dehydrate them do you cut them up or do them whole? I've got our little dehydrator running now but it's not the quickest of things and it's a bit of a guessing game. I could do with a proper one really.
DeleteSomeday my fig trees will be big! Its been VERY difficult to get figs trees going here but I have managed to finally get some rooted in (I hope) . I make Jalapeno jelly its one of our favorites, its good on toast or with eggs if you like eggs. Its good put on top of a block of cream cheese and served with crackers or veggies as a appetizer. Next year I will do a batch of blackberry to fill in what we eat of the Jalapeno. I will make fig when we start getting fig as my DH loves fig jam.
ReplyDeleteI made persimmon jam one year but it did not turn out. I have had luck with jalapeno jelly and watermelon rind jam though.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of fig jam. We had a fig tree at our house when we were kids, but we just threw them at each other.
ReplyDeleteThe fig jam looks very nice!
ReplyDeleteYou old clever clogs, I once made marrow and ginger jam and everyone hated it. lol
ReplyDeleteBriony
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