Need help: best fig preserves

[SCrammerjammer]

Don't want any "strawberry jello" stuff. I want an old fashioned, grandma way to make some fig preserves. My grandma's had thick syrup. I don't want to cut any corners. Got a good recipe? Thanks for your help! I know we got some good guys and gals out there who know what I'm talking about.

Thanks!

 

[TideRollsInVa]

I've made some good fig perserves from my mother's recipe, which is in her head, of course. Just cover your sauce pan with water, so not to scorch your figs, For every cup of figs include a cup of sugar. Cook slow and low, desolving the sugar as the juice escapes the fruit. Figs should be translucent or near it when completed. Some secrets along the way; stir seldom, and cook in small amounts, 2 cups of figs. Taste and add sugar gradually if needed. If your figs are those large, giant type figs it can be best to slice, if small figs you can leave whole. I normally slice up a few to induce the liquid. sometimes I'll mixed my equal amounts of sugar and figs the night before in a container, to rest, as I'm resting. Mama never does this.

 

[BamaLuver]

This from my sister whose husband eats a jar a week! She's been doing this for years!

----------------

I cut the stems off the night before and layer them with sugar in a pot. I put about 1 1/2 -2 inches of figs, then about a cup of sugar over them. Continue until the pot is full. Let this sit overnight. The next morning I start cooking them on low to make sure all the sugar dissolves. I cook mine about an hour but can cook longer if they are not thick enough for you.

 

[TideRollsInVa]

This from my sister whose husband eats a jar a week! She's been doing this for years!

----------------

I cut the stems off the night before and layer them with sugar in a pot. I put about 1 1/2 -2 inches of figs, then about a cup of sugar over them. Continue until the pot is full. Let this sit overnight. The next morning I start cooking them on low to make sure all the sugar dissolves. I cook mine about an hour but can cook longer if they are not thick enough for you.

I'll going to try your sis's method here very soon. Picked my first 2 figs yesterday, just to beat the Mockingbirds to them. Count is 2 to 6, they kicking my tail. Soon I'll have more getting ripe than they can eat in a day. Was not as fortunate with my blueberries.

 

[SCrammerjammer]

Good ideas and thanks for your responses. I found on a googled site where one person said to try adding one drop of maple flavoring to each jar...not more, because figs are easy to overpower flavor wise. That sounded interesting to try. I have a weakness for fresh figs and also could eat a jar a week if they are in heavy syrup. I just can't tolerate the watery stuff.

Little story: My aunt who is in her early 90's gave me a case of her fig preserves. This is significant because all our family aspires to make preserves like hers. Well, she initially was going to give them away to folks who helped her out in her community until they buckled and told her they did not know what to do with them. That is just disturbing. But, I'm glad to take them off her hands. Can you imagine? I also have a CA neighbor at another aunt's house in Prattville. He has a HUGE fig tree--loaded down. They drop to the ground every year and get so ripe they make the birds drunk. I'm going to P'ville this weekend to clean up on the tree if there are any left. They have no idea what to do with them.

 

[TommyMac]

Fig preserves or pear preserves? I can never decide which is my favorite. Either one in my Grandmother's cat-head biscuits was pretty dang close to Heaven on earth.

 

[TommyMac]

This from my sister whose husband eats a jar a week! She's been doing this for years!

----------------

I cut the stems off the night before and layer them with sugar in a pot. I put about 1 1/2 -2 inches of figs, then about a cup of sugar over them. Continue until the pot is full. Let this sit overnight. The next morning I start cooking them on low to make sure all the sugar dissolves. I cook mine about an hour but can cook longer if they are not thick enough for you.

I made some yesterday using this recipe. I used Splenda instead of sugar and they turned out great, not as syrupy, but still mighty good.

 

[bayoutider]

ttt

 

[SCrammerjammer]

I used all the ideas for making my first batch of fig preserves this year. We had a cooker full of fresh figs, the large ones, so we cut them in half and covered them with 2 cups of sugar to sit overnight. That drew the juice out of the figs and helped dissolve much of the sugar, which helped prevent scorching figs at first. We cooked them down on low--for a couple hours. I ended up adding another cup of sugar but probably could have gotten by with 1/2 cup. We ended up with 2 full pints. I didn't worry about sealing the jars, but they sealed on their own. Didn't matter--one jar is gone. The other will be gone soon!

I love it when something works out right. RTR.

I noticed some suggestions from online sites included peeling the fig. Does anyone do that and why? I just can't see doing that.

Thanks, Bayou, for sending this to the top.

 

[aden]

As you have found,making fig preserves is not that difficult. Its nice to know something as simple to make as fig preserves along with a hot biscuit can be easy to make.

 

[bayoutider]

As you have found,making fig preserves is not that difficult. Its nice to know something as simple to make as fig preserves along with a hot biscuit can be easy to make.

I still can't make a biscuit I would serve to company. I don't even serve them to myself.

 

[DrBama]

I still can't make a biscuit I would serve to company. I don't even serve them to myself.

Now THAT's one of the most surprising things I've read on this board!!:eek2:

 

[BAMAFAN IN NY]

I cant make biscuits either.. In fact, I havent eaten a decent biscuit since January 1996. I remember it like it was yesterday lol. But those frozen ones arent too bad.

 

[BamaLuver]

My sister put up 14 more jars yesterday. The reason? She was down to only 15 left in the cabinet. Her husband eats them year round. Think the guys @ the hunting camp make good use of them too!

She said she'd be picking more in the next few weeks to replenish!

BTW: I've tried various frozen biscuits, but the Pillsbury "Southern Style" are the best by far. Not the ones that you microwave -- these must be cooked in the oven for approx. 25 minutes. You can bake a dozen and then put those not used in a air tight baggie to zap & re-heat later.

 

[SCrammerjammer]

Just picked 3 gallons at family farm in GA. This is going to be a fun weekend! RTR.

 

[bama61]

This from my sister whose husband eats a jar a week! She's been doing this for years!

----------------

I cut the stems off the night before and layer them with sugar in a pot. I put about 1 1/2 -2 inches of figs, then about a cup of sugar over them. Continue until the pot is full. Let this sit overnight. The next morning I start cooking them on low to make sure all the sugar dissolves. I cook mine about an hour but can cook longer if they are not thick enough for you.

As someone indicated previously, we halve them if large or leave them whole if small. Prepare them as above with the addition of tossing in a few cinnamon sticks, some whole cloves, and lemon or orange peel (zest only) then cooking until figs are soft and the syrup is at the desired thickness. When canning, divide the spices among the jars. This has been the method used in our family for several generations that I know of.

 

[SCrammerjammer]

It is fig preserving time again! Glad I could dredge up this thread from last year to recall the steps and suggestions. RTR!

 

[TommyMac]

I planted a fig tree in my back yard in the spring of 08, it took off real well, even had two figs on it that first year, but the squirrels beat me to them. Not even a bloom this year though. Butch, my Boston Terrier likes to use it as a pee pole, maybe that's why, he killed an apple tree last year. _sad:

 

[bama_belle]

My mama always added a thin slice of lemon to the bottom of her fig jar, we (my brother and sister) always fought over who got to eat the lemon slice. It got so bad that mama started keeping tabs on who ate the slice on her calendar.

 

[bamanut_aj]

y'all are killin' me!!!

My grandmother had a couple in her yard and made fig preserves that were just awesome.