Simple Fig Jam
When I think of Cyprus I associate it with lots of delicious food and produce including figs and lemons, so when Expedia asked me to take part in the World on a Plate Challenge I knew what I had to make, a Simple Fig Jam.
My husband lived in Paphos for a year as a teenager and fondly remembers the fig and lemon trees growing in the garden there. In fact I’m sure it’s my mother in law who suggested I make fig jam when I first started jam making as she is a huge fan of it.
I have to admit to being totally unfamiliar to figs as they are not something I grew up with.. I did love Fig Rolls though as a child, until the day I saw a dried fig and then I was totally put off them (kid logic)!
So back to the plot, having tried some fig jam for the first time last year (that my mother gave me), I actually really loved it and put it on my bucket list of jams to make. I decided to keep the flavour clean and simple as I’m not a big fan of adding flavourings to jam – I like to let the fruit shine!
As figs are low in pectin rather than use jam sugar or pectin I upped the lemon juice in this recipe and also used the skins for additional pectin!
My simple Fig Jam turned out wonderfully and we have been enjoying it with cheese and biscuits as well as on croissants etc for a sweet treat. What surprised me most was the colour as the fig jam I’d been given was brown but this fig jam has a beautiful deep pink colour.
I do hope you try my fig jam recipe and if you need any more fig inspiration then take a look at these recipe ideas:
- Honey Roasted Fig and Red Pepper Salad with wilted Spinach – A Mummy Too
- Figs Stuffed with Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese – Natural Kitchen Adventures
- Smoked Duck Salad with Glazed Figs, Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts – The Foodie Couple Blog
- Fig, White Chocolate and Mascarpone Tarts – Tin & Thyme
- Baked Figs with Bacon, Sundried Tomatoes & Mozarella – Munchies & Munchkins
Why not pin for later?
Simple Fig Jam
Ingredients
- 1.2 Kg Figs washed
- 600 g Glranulated sugar
- Juice and skin of 2 small unwaxed lemons equating to 5 tbsp juice
Instructions
- The night before prepare the figs by trimming the stems, chopping in half and then chop each half into nine pieces, cutting in 3 both ways. (If you like a finer textured jam then chop into smaller pieces.)
- Place the halved lemon skins into a glass bowl along with the chopped figs and pour over the sugar followed by the lemon juice, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.
- Place all the fruit mixture into a preserving pan (or one of similar size) and gently heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
- Increase the heat and bring the mixture up to a rolling boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 38 - 40 minutes, stirring regularly until the mixture is looking thick and syrupy. You can use a potato masher to break up the figs if you wish.
- Discard the lemon skins and pot up in hot sterilised jars.
- Makes 1 ltr of jam (which for me filled just over 1 large and 2 small jars).
Recipe Notes
Sterilise jars by washing in hot soapy water or use fresh from the dishwasher, fill with boiling water, emptying and then place in oven for 20 minutes at 140°C leaving in oven until jam is ready. Washed lids should be sterilised with boiling water and then left to drain.
NB: I received vouchers to cover my ingredients and time making this recipe.
Maggie
I’ve recently moved to Northern Spain and figs grow prolifically here so I have been looking for ways of using them. This is the first recipe I’ve tried – the jam is now cooling in the jars so we haven’t started using it yet. The figs I used are a variety that does not have red centres, so my jam is a brown colour and has a slightly floral aroma. Cooking with the lemon skins has given it that distinctive marmalade bitterness; I love marmalades, so that’s fine – but if you don’t care for marmalade, perhaps the addition of some apples or apple pectin to achieve a set would be preferable? I have loads of apples here, so next time I’ll use those (and some lemon juice) instead of lemon peel to see how it affects the flavour.
Camilla
Hi Maggie, that’s interesting as I’ve never noticed this jam tasting at all like marmalade, perhaps it’ll taste differently once you’ve allowed the jam to cool in the jars. I’m sure you could just leave the skin out of the recipe and adjust the cooking time if needed. If you add apple I’d be checking for set way sooner as it is packed with pectin as you say:-)
MrsMc
Just made my first batch. We are lucky enough to have inherited a fig tree when we moved to our home in France. Last year the wasps beat us to it, not this year. Looks and smells delicious. How long would you leave it until using it?
Camilla
Hi, you can use it as soon as it has cooled down:-)
Mrs Flint
Hi. Do you know how long this jam will keep for?
Thank you
Marianna
Camilla
Hi Mrs Flint, it’s best eaten in the first year but can last years in a cool dark place. Just store in the fridge once open and eat within about 3 months.
Tracy
Thank you thank you thank you for sharing! we have had a super crop of figs this year, we have about 7 young plants in the uk, and ive never made jam before, (the thought of having to test temp put me off) ive jarred up three this morning, and cant wait, it tasted lovely from the pan, so fairly confident its going to be perfect. We were getting a bit fed up with having to eat our selves sick in one month of the year lol, now we can enjoy all year round.
Camilla
Excellent Tracy, so glad you like the recipe and that you don’t have to over indulge in figs anymore:-)