Thursday, July 19, 2007

Fig Preserves, Sunshine in a Jar

I live in a house which is almost one hundred and fifty years old. It sits on a strangely shaped piece of property measuring a little over two acres. On this property we have some of the most amazingly majestic live oaks I've ever seen, too much bamboo, lots of native flowering bushes, quite a few pecan trees and assorted other things like hydrangea, azalea and magnolia.

There is, however, a startling lack of fruit trees if you don't count the pecans and I don't because we get virtually no nuts off of them. That's probably our fault, but neither here nor there in this conversation.

I am certain that over the years, there must have been blueberry bushes, mulberry trees, peach trees, fig trees, sand pears, and so forth. Folks must eat! We are trying, slowly, to reintroduce some of these things to the property but they are mostly slow-growing and so we must depend on generous friends and U-Pick places for the fruit we like to eat and preserve.

Yesterday I had just gotten a message from a friend whose fig trees are in overdrive, inviting me to come pick when my husband called, saying a co-worker had brought us in a large bag of figs.

Time to make preserves!

Fig preserves are one of my favorites. First of all, the fruit is just so...well, darnit, sensuous. No wonder it's an age-old symbol of fertility. How can a fruit be so male and yet so female at the same time? Or is that just me?

According to a quick Google, I find that figs were probably one of the first fruits ever cultivated by people. References to them can be found in the Bible and in the mythology of many cultures. I'm not surprised.

The figs I have in my possession today are, I believe, the Celeste variety. Small and purplish brown with a luscious almost-coral inner flesh, they grow quite well in our area.

I've had the recipe that I use for fig preserves for so long that I can't remember where I got it, but I think it was from a very, very old cook book. It's the kind of recipe I like- simple, direct, and to the point. I cook my figs whole, rather than cutting them up, and add a few lemons to the mix to add that sour spark that makes the sometimes almost too-sweet flavor of the fig pick right up and dance.

The pleasure we'll have in opening a jar of these preserves next winter, spooning out some of the figs to mash on a fresh biscuit and pouring over some of the sweet syrup, is quite enough to rationalize the time and money that goes into making them. Let's face it- it's cheaper to buy fig preserves than make them, but that's hardly the point.

Here's the recipe I use:
Fig Preserves
4 lbs. fresh figs
2 lemons, sliced very thin and seeded
4 cups of sugar
1 cup of water

Wash figs and cut any stems. Combine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes.
Add figs and lemons. Cook rapidly until clear.
Seal in clean, hot jars, process in boiling water canner for fifteen minutes.
Makes 3 pints.

Please watch your figs as they boil because if you go off to do something (like write a blog) and ignore them as they boil, you will walk into your kitchen to find something of a huge mess.

Also, when you measure out your sugar, you might find yourself thinking, "Golly, this is more sugar than my family uses in a year!"

True, but, sugar is part of the preservation process and so necessary in this recipe. Console yourself with the idea that you will be eating small amounts of the resulting sweet goodness. Then, do your very best to avoid the temptation to just take a spoon to the jar. Add some whole wheat and flax seed to your pancakes or biscuits and when you are eating them with these preserves, you can almost believe you're doing something good for your body, despite all the sugar.

You will certainly be doing something good for your soul.

79 comments:

Food and Brew Love said...

Ms. Moon,
I've been following your own blog since you started it -- what a thrill to read from you here, now!

I've never made fig preserves (actually, I've never made preserves of any kind). I bought figs at the market yesterday and ate them all before dinner (with minimal help from the boys). I have no restraint. I hope to go pick enough for a batch of preserves using the recipe you provided.

Thanks for the beautiful writing.

Ms. M. said...

Thanks! Figs are a really easy place to start when making preserves- no seeding, straining, chopping, etc. Very basic. And they'll turn out great every time as long as they don't get burned. I don't try to make the juice gel with these. I like the syrupy aspect of the liquid in the preserves. Goes so nicely over our favorite bread products. They're good with ice cream, too, I hear.
You might want to get some information on canning if you've never done it before. It's important to have really clean jars and and can them properly.

Food and Brew Love said...

Yes -- Botox, anyone? I think that's why I find it so intimidating. But the idea of canning, pickling etc -- still appeals to something deep within me -- I have a couple of books that both attract and discourage me: Putting Food By (Hertsberg, Vaughan, Greene) and The Joy of Pickling (Ziedrich).

My mother makes beautiful jams from whatever fruits happen to grow where she lives, and she usually brings some when she comes to visit.

In my world so far, jamming has seemed mysterious and elevated -- a secret of nurturing and preservation belonging to experienced mothers and grandmothers (actually, come to think of it, my grandfather also makes an unrivaled calamandin marmalade). Happily, I think my time is arriving.

Ms. M. said...

Oh, don't be afraid. Did you ever know anyone who actually got one of those nasty illnesses from eating home jarred jam?
I haven't.
Do you have a canning kettle? I highly recommend getting one if you don't. Also, jar lifters are a must. Beyond that and the jars and lids, you don't need anything except a big pot to boil your fruit and sugar in. Start easy- don't try to make up a bushel basket of the fruit- try a small batch first to get the whole routine down.
Have fun! There is something incredibly soul-satisfying, seeing those jewel-glowing jars lined up, their lids all popped down and sealed. I call it "channeling my inner- Mormon."

Cathy said...

I have fond memories of making fig preserves years ago - and watching the birds get full on the overripe ones that were fermenting :)

I need a fig tree in my back yard!

Anonymous said...

My grandma came from Norway....and now, my Mom is 85 years old and lives for summer when my fig tree bears the most delicious sweet figs! She has fond memories of Fig preserves and sneaking tastes of PICKLED figs in her auntie's cellar. Fig pickles, anyone?

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Michelle Staton Briley said...

Thank you, Ms. Moon, for your wonderful recipe for fig preserves! I just finished making a batch, and they are delicious!

Reminds me of my dear grandmother's recipe which she now cannot remember due to memory loss. So this means the world to me!

les said...

Ms. Moon, are you aware of anyone who sells fig preserves that are made like yours? I've been trying to raise figs for that very purpose, but mine aren't "making" yet and I just can't stand store-bought fig preserves. They always seem to be missing something! Thank you.
Leslie

les said...

Ms. Moon, are you aware of anyone who sells fig preserves that are made like yours? I've been trying to raise figs for that very purpose, but mine aren't "making" yet and I just can't stand store-bought fig preserves. They always seem to be missing something! Thank you.
Leslie

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