The HOMEMADE FIG JAM, or rather the FIG PRESERVE, is a delicious conserve to prepare during this period with the last figs, so you can have their aroma and flavor available all year round! Fig jam is one of my favorite homemade preserves; it’s perfect for pies and cookies but also to accompany aged cheeses or fresh spreadable ones like ricotta. The beauty of this recipe is that fig jam is made with little sugar since this fruit is very sweet on its own. You can flavor the fig preserve as you like; it’s delicious when flavored with vanilla seeds or lemon zest. I’m sure you’ll find the fig jam delicious, it has such a creamy consistency and the taste is delightful! Just follow me in the recipe for homemade fig jam, I’ll show you how to make it!
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 500 g of jam
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients
- 21 oz ripe but firm figs (weight without peel)
- 1 cup brown sugar (granulated sugar works as well)
- 1 lemon (juice and zest)
- 4 tbsp water
Steps
If you decide to preserve the jam, you must sanitize the jars. I used two 8.8 oz jars, but one 17.6 oz jar is fine as well. For jar sterilization, READ MY ARTICLE, I explain how to do it with several easy and 100% safe methods.
Take the figs, rinse them with water, peel them, and cut them into quarters. Peel the lemon, keep the zest aside, and then squeeze it.
In a saucepan, place the figs with the water and sugar, add the zest and lemon juice. Turn on the heat and start heating; foam will form, remove it with a skimmer.
Cook over low heat, always stirring to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The cooking will last about 50 minutes, even an hour. It’s important to always stir with a spoon during cooking.
When the jam is creamy and thick, it’s ready to be removed from the heat. If you want a creamy fig jam without chunks, you need to pass it through a fine sieve.
If after this step it is too liquid, put the jam back on for another 10 minutes of cooking, always on low heat, always stirring with a spoon.
Remove the lemon zest and transfer the still hot jam into sterilized jars, filling them up to half an inch from the top, close tightly, and turn the jars upside down to create the vacuum seal. Turn the jars right-side-up when they have cooled down.
…Vane’s tips
If you have decided to preserve the jam in sterilized jars, ensure, once the jars have cooled, that the lid does not click when pressed; the lid should be completely flat.
Fig jam in sterilized jars can be preserved for about ten to twelve months from when it is jarred. If you do not want to preserve it, you must consume it within a week, stored in an airtight jar in the fridge.
If you want to flavor the jam, as mentioned above, with vanilla seeds, for example, you need to add them before pouring the preserve into the jars.
If you want to flavor the jam, as mentioned above, with vanilla seeds, for example, you need to add them before pouring the preserve into the jars.
