Never in my life did I imagine I would have not one but three fig trees growing in my backyard. In Italy figs are served with prosciutto, baked into cakes, and yes, of course, grace the jars in the form of jam or preserves.
1 There are over 800 fig varieties.
2 Dottato figs are the most common variety in Italy.
3 They are bright green on the outside with a red flesh on the inside. And they're delicious!
4 Combine the figs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. You can imagine how delicious this is!
5 Not bad for my first batch of fig preserves!
My dear friend Elizabeth Shaw of the handmade European luxury shoe line Rickard Shaw inspired me when I noticed she had made fig jam on Facebook; she also lives in Italy. There are over 800 fig varieties. On our property we have Dottato figs—the most common variety in Italy, which is bright green on the outside with a red flesh on the inside. At the start of our fig season about a month ago, I was feeling kind of peckish, and stood at our first tree, which had bloomed under the enormous prehistoric looking leaves, and ate 20 figs while my 15-month-old sat and watched me with curiosity. They were so divine.
Making My First Batch of Fig Preserves
I had never made fig preserves but my friend assured me it would be easy. I chose a fantastically easy recipe from Williams-Sonoma The Art of Preserving by Rick Field and Rebecca Courchesne. I decreased the amount of sugar by one cup (the recipe called for 4 cups and I used 3), since I felt the figs were so sweet that less sugar would be fine. I also added two tablespoons of freshly grated ginger (although now I am thinking candied ginger might be fun next time), cinnamon, some lemon juice instead of orange juice and lemon zest in lieu of orange zest. What I liked about the recipe was that it turned out more like a chutney than a jam, as the cooking time of the fig mixture allowed the fig pieces to stay somewhat intact. The preserves are perfect on a piece of toast, or served with goat cheese crostini, on top of plain yogurt or alongside a meat or poultry dish.
By the way, there was plenty of fig sugar syrup left at the bottom of the pot, so I added half a cup of balsamic vinegar and one cup of wine and reduced the mixture on a medium flame for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and again, and was left with a delicious syrup that I poured over vanilla ice cream. Can you say YUMMMMM?!
GINGER LEMON FIG PRESERVES
Makes half a pint (8-fl oz/250-ml) jars
- 3 pounds/1.5 kg fresh figs such as Dotatto, Mission, or Brown Turkey.
- 3 cups sugar
- ½ cup lemon juice
- Have ready hot sterilized jars and their lids. If you are not sure how to do this, go to ehow.com.
- Trim the fig stems, leaving a little of the stem attached to each fig.
- In a large non-reactive saucepan, combine the figs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon juice.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, then lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove any foam that may develop during cooking. Add the lemon zest and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon and a canning funnel, divide the fig pieces evenly among the jars. Then ladle the syrup into the jars leaving about ¼ inch/ 6 mm of headspace. Seal the jars tightly.
- Process the jars for 5-10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
The preserves can be stored in a cool dark place for up to a year; once opened, they’ll last in the fridge for up to a month.
Anna Getty, is the eco-editor of Pregnancy Magazine and a mother of two, green-living educator, Kundalini yoga teacher, and author. She has penned two lifestyle books with Chronicle Books, I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas and Anna Getty's Easy Green Organic. Anna recently moved with her family to Tuscany, Italy, to pursue a simple and organic country life. Please visit her website at AnnaGetty.com.
