How to make Fig Preserves – Fruit Preserves

Fig Preserves Recipe

Wasn’t planning on making a tutorial on fig preserves. Then I thought to ask my Facebook and Instagram followers, if anyone would be interested in learning how to make it. Sometimes I want to see if people are willing to make their own homemade sweets, before I do a tutorial. Because, nowadays many go with store bought and don’t really care making things that might be slightly time taking. Surprisingly came to realize, that many were interested, so here we go: fig preserves on our sweets menu.

I remember both my mom and grandma making fig preserves in late summer, it was one of the “must” sweets and we always had it on our breakfast table in winter time. I loved my evening tea with it, still do.

Fig preserves is one of my absolute favorites, well, for a huge tea lover, all preserves are favorites. So if you read my blogs, unlike me, I never read blogs:) , you’ll notice me calling all the preserves “ my favorite”. I’m honest and honestly enjoy making all kind of jams, preserves and sweet sauces, later eating those all by myself, since none of my kids likes eating them. Good for them and lucky me:)

Hope you won’t consider this as “hard to make” and will go for it.

Good luck!

Ingredients 

3 lbs fresh figs, be sure to choose not too ripe nor too soft figs

6 cups boiling water




5 ½ cups granulated white sugar

Juice of one lemon ( about 1 tbs or a bit more)

1-2 tsp vanilla extract

5-6 whole cloves

Directions 

In a heavy bottom cooking pot combine boiling water and sugar

Bring to a boil on high heat, lower the heat to medium and simmer for 30-40 minutes

The syrup should slightly reduce and thicken

While the syrup is cooking wash the figs and using a fork or a wooden skewer, poke the fruit, set aside

Turn off the heat, add lemon juice, and place all the fruit in hot syrup, give a quick mix




Let it stand for 45-60 minutes to absorb the syrup 

Once in awhile stir the fruit, making sure it’s immersed in syrup properly

Turn the heat on and start cooking , about 35-40 minutes or until the fruit is translucent

Be sure to stir the cooking preserves once in awhile to make sure it cooks evenly

With black figs it’s hard to tell when they’re translucent, so I’d take one and set aside in a plate to cool down, then try and see if it’s slightly soft to the bite, you don’t want to overcook it either

Refer to YouTube tutorial for more details on canning your preserves

For pickling lime version (the crispier fruit version) 

Combine ⅔ cup pickling lime and 7 cups water, stir

Place the figs in that mixture for 5-8 hours or overnight, once in awhile give it a stir

Wash the fruit with cold water for a few minutes, then place in a big bowl filled with cold water, as the water gets foggy, change it, do that as many time as needed,the final has to be very clear

Continue according to the recipe listed above

Enjoy!