If your family doesn’t enjoy plain fig preserves, but they like strawberry or raspberry, take heart! This will be the last season those figs go to waste!
This is an easy-breezy recipe for mock strawberry or mock raspberry preserves. Feel free to add the word mock or fig to the recipe, if you like. Go ahead. It’s ok. I’m giving you permission.
I’ve been making this recipe for about 25 years now. Wow! I didn’t realize it had been so long. That really makes me feel like an older woman.
Mock Strawberry Preserves or Mock Raspberry-Fig Preserves
3 Cups mashed figs
3 Cups sugar
1 Large Box Strawberry OR Raspberry Jello (or 2 small boxes if large isn’t available).
Combine together in your large jelly-making pot. Bring to boil on medium/high heat stirring often so that it does not scorch. Bring to a boil, and boil on a hard rolling boil until the mixture coats the spoon.
Immediately fill hot jelly jars with boiling preserves, seal with lids and bands, and immerse in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Remove jars to dish towel on counter to cool. Listen for the “ping” as the lids seal on the jars.
YIELD: Approximately 4-6 small jelly jars (8 oz. jars)
We love both of these flavors equally. I have shared these preserves with friends over the years, and as far as I know, they are very well-liked. They go well on toast, biscuits, pancakes, PBJ sandwiches, and ice cream.
This is posted without photos, because I don’t have quite enough figs for a batch yet, and I wanted you to have the recipe while your figs are fresh.
Step by step photos coming soon!
Enjoy!
BW
Filed under: Bayou Woman Cooks | Tagged: preserves, "fig preserves", "strawberry preserves", "raspberry preserves"
Recipe came just in time. I just came in from picking 5 GALLONS. There are more on that tree (and I have another tree also). I should have picked more, but the mosquitoes were getting me. I’ll have to make a trip to the store before church tomorrow for some Jello. I’ll be busy tomorrow making your recipe and doing some “straight” preserves. (I’ll need some of those when I make my Fruit Cakes next Christmas). What is the approximate yield with this recipe?
Goodness, Steph. That’s a buncha figs!! I need some of YOURS!!! Looking back my old notes on this recipe, it looks like one recipe makes about 5-6 of the small jelly jars - 8 oz. I think they are. Does that help?
I wish I had ,had this recipe when I lived in Florida. Not ever having figs before I didn’t know what to do with them. I made cookies and gave the rest to an Italian restaurant. they were thrilled to have them. The jelly recipe sounds yummy.
Welcome, Sheryl! Yes it is yummy!
I know this recipe is yummy from experience thanks to BW giving me a jar years ago.
YEARS? Was it really YEARS????!!!! Well, you need to get on down here so I can give you another jar. You know how costly it is to mail things nowadays!
How did you get even the few you have from the tree when the ever-vigilant redbirds have more time than you to sit among the branches and devour the FAINTEST ripe part of every fig!!
You make a good point! Every time I go out there, the tree is spotted with black birds. It would be ok if they would each just take one fig and eat the whole thing, but NO. They have to eat just the ripe centers, leaving dozens of unusable figs for me. I hate that!
Stephanie - How can I keep the birds out of my tree? HELP!
Grandma use to string alum. pie plates in her fig trees. Other than netting that’s all I know. And yes, it’s been a few years since the last jar!
This is my favorite jelly of all time! I had it just a few nights ago when we had “brinner” at my inlaws’s house (”Brinner… it’s breakfast, for dinner!”). Fried eggs over grits, turkey bacon and Bisquick biscuits with strawberry-fig jelly! Mmmm! Great, now I’m hungry.
So, who named it “brinner”? Did you tell them about our word for lunch and supper?
1. Got an idea how to deter those birds. Send Termite out there with his Christmas present. Doesn’t have to have target practice though (just make some noise). If one should kick the bucket 10 will come to the funeral, then you just have a bigger problem. HILARIOUS!!!!
2. Made a batch of the mock strawberry preserves. Had just enough left in the pot for a piece of toast. Let’s just say I know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow. About the only thing that might make it better is a biscuit. Isn’t that neat how you have just enough left over for breakfast? Let us know how you like it, Stephanie!
3.Spill……what’s the word for lunch/supper? On the days we have “brunch”, we then have “lupper”.
“Lupper”. Always makes me think of the sound a dog makes when he’s gulping water from a big bucket… Don’t know why. Anyway, I saw Brinner somewhere and liked it. (Hey, don’t we know someone with a kid with that name?) Anyway, I just have to tattle on Mike. He chose grape jelly over strawberry-fig the other night with those biscuits… And I just told him I typed that and he called me a name. *lol*
BOO HISS! NO GRAPE JELLY ALLOWED!
Thanks for the recipe…can you please tell me if you peel the figs?
Hi De. No, we do not peel the figs in this one. Just like not mashing them, we like them to have a “shape” in this preserve recipe. Even though some of them break down, most of them stay relatively whole, and then we “spread” the candied fig out onto the biscuit along with the syrup. To me, it makes figs unique in that way–the fruit can stay whole. HOWEVER, if you would like a much softer, jammy spread, then I guess you could peel them. Let us know what you decide to do and how it turns out, ok?
Have you used any other flavor jello. I am going to try blackberry. I have tried peach, but the flavor is not distinct. I hope to try apricot as well. If you have any experience that you would like to share in regard to additional flavors, I am interested. Thanks.
PS I put my figs in the food processor…I don’t like chunks of fruit in my jam.
Hi Susan, thanks for stopping by and sharing ideas with us. I guess I’m a Jell-O illiterate, because I was not aware there was a blackberry flavor! PLEASE come back and let us know how it turns out. Have you made the strawberry or raspberry so you can compare? And let us know about apricot as well. Good luck!