Picture an Italian countryside road. It’s summer, it’s hot, there’s no one around except you and singing cicadas. Clouds are meringue spots in the bluest sky when suddenly you stumble in one of the most delicious fruit-bearing plants of all. A fig tree. Few things are more rewarding than climbing up a tree to taste what is arguably one of the most delicious, sweet fruits of all. Perhaps making your own fig jam, to taste summertime throughout winter! It is much easier than you can imagine and trust us, it will be way more delicious than almost ANY product you may find on your market shelves. So take a couple hours off with the right ingredients & tools, and go for it.
Ingredients:
3 lb fresh figs
1 lb sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon rind
Method:
Peel the figs. Add to a pot with all other ingredients and cook for about 40 minutes. The lemon peel will help get a nice dense texture as it’s rich in pectine, as well as giving a nice fragrant touch. The cinnamon stick will add a nice aromatic element, you could use vanilla or mint as well. Once cooked take the cinnamon and rind out (lemon rind can stay if you want an extra citrus flavor), and blend using an electric mixer.
Sterilize your jars and pour in the jam whilst still boiling hot, then turn the jars. If the process is done correctly, the jam will last for 6 months at least. This recipe can be applied to other fruit, heightening a little the sugar content. Figs are very rich in sugar naturally, but say you were using tart apples, you would need a little more…Wrap your jars nicely, store & enjoy during the months when figs are not in season or give away as presents.
Buon appetito!