Coming soon…
“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017
Because there are 9,999,999,999 figs left on the tree, the wife and I decided we must try to make preserves this year. I’ve never done it before, but its pretty dang simple, so why not try it. This is step 56 of 2,092 of me turning into my grandmother. Anyways, here we go.
Ingredients are so simple you can’t mess it up:
Water
Sugar
Lemon Juice
Honey (optional)
Figs
That’s it. The whole process should take you about an hour, maybe an hour and a half if you include dancing around the fig tree with a bucket in hand singing your best ‘fig pickin’ songs.
Before you start, ensure your jars, lids, and seals have been cleaned and sanitized and dried. You don’t want to do all this work and then have funky figs. No one wants that.
One cup water and three cups sugar in a pot on the stove. Cook until it starts to get thick and sticky, about 15 minutes.
While you are waiting on that, clean your figs. Clean them well; birds like to eat at the top of the tree and you know how gravity works. So there’s no reason not to give them a thorough washing. Cut the stems off of your figs and discard the stems. Don’t go cutting your thumb either; no one wants fig preserves with a side of your DNA. After that, cut your figs in half. Some people quarter them, but I didn’t. You don’t have to do this, but it was easy enough. I wanted to get all of that delicious juiciness inside out and I knew we were going to pulse them later anyways, so why not.
Once your sugar water concoction is sticky and thick, insert joke here and add the figs. Squeeze a half a lemon into the mix. Add a 1/4 cup of honey. Bring to a boil for a minute or two, then down to low heat. Mix it all up. Coat all those beautiful figs with that sticky sugar water. Every few minutes take a break from Barefoot Contessa and go back in the kitchen and push all the figs around in the pot making sure they all cook down evenly. Let that simmer for 30-40 minutes until everything is a beautiful red col
Very cool read.
Unfortunately these are skills that are falling to the roadside. Today’s generation just assumes everything comes from the grocery store. These skills and many more have been passed down to our daughter which is passing them down to her kids. Hopefully they continue to cycle.
In high school I got kicked out of shop class. Did not get along with the shop teacher. got sent to home economics. The following year I signed up for home economics.
15- 16 year old boy in a classroom full of girls. Mama didn’t raise no fool. But I can sew, bake all that good stuff.
You find things offensive. I find things funny. That's why I'm happier than you.
22 life’s a day
I would guess I had about two pounds of figs to start with. And they filled 9 jars about 80% of the way. I didn’t seal one and stuck it straight in the fridge. If you wanted to fill all 12 of your 8 ounce sized jars, I would probably start with three-ish pounds of figs. They cook way down.
All of this canning stuff is available at Wallyworld for cheap. I think with the sugar, honey, canning stuff, I might have $8-$10 in this whole thing.
“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017
We need more jelly threads and less “stupid threads that cant be fixed”* ones…
daddy like
Thanks for the pics, that’s what gets the clicks and helps keep the lights on around here.
Staff
Great read, Ricky. As they cool, you should hear the lids POP as they contract. Lids should be sucked down. If not, beware.
I canned like 40 pints, at least, of yellowfin we caught at Outer Banks. Like 526lbs by 11am. Box full on the Bi-Op Sea.
Had to get a pressure cooker for that, but that’s still better eating than Charlie Tuna…
Hey, get a canning pot. Has the racks and a lifting tool for getting those jars out. Cheap too. Keeps jars off bottom for even heating. Just sayin.
NN
I thought that it was important to leave the right amount of head space from the top of your product to to the bottom of the lid? To help mitigate any microbial growth. At least that’s what I’ve read with the canning I have done. Not knocking you by any means just genuinely curious as to why you would leave that much head space in the jars.
"Endeavor to Persevere. Give,Give.. Never Take." EC
I remember canning tomatoes with my grandmother when we’d stay with them in the summer. Man, I got to where I hated tomatoes. Looks like y’all been busy. We planted a fig tree this spring and had to put a fence around it to keep the deer from eating the leaves until it gets bigger. We might have some figs in a couple of years.
"Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It's Hand", but really, who cares?
Those fig preserves go excellent with cured meat and cheese on a cracker
Because I’m a newb and am learning along the way. I should be knocked on most things.
“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017