I picked about two gallons of figs this morning before 7 a.m. so I could get home and make preserves before the kitchen got too hot. Combining today’s harvest, with the previous three picking sessions, I had enough to make plenty of the delicious preserves–the recipe I already posted.
How about a step by step pictorial? Well, sorry, you’re gonna get one whether you really want it or not. All you seasoned “canners” out there can just skip all this, because it is intended for those Googlers who are going to start picking figs and doing a search for something different to do with figs this summer.
Search no more! I am going to teach you how to make the easiest and best tasting fig preserves, and your family and friends will NEVER know they are figs until you tell them. And that is no lie. Any of you on here who’ve had these can confirm that this is true in the comments section.
RECIPE: First you need a recipe, you know?
See? I told you I’ve been making this recipe for a long time. See the year on that one record? June 1985. Please pay no attention to that terrible-looking hang nail on that thumb. That hand model is way overdue for a manicure!
ASSEMBLE NECESSARY ITEMS:
The blue pot is for pre-boiling the jars and then also for the “hot water bath” after the jars are filled.
The stainless pot is for boiling the preserves.
There is a potato masher, large jar tongs, small lid tongs, a large jar funnel, and canning jars.
INGREDIENTS:
Figs, sugar, and Jello
JAR PREPARATION:
Boil the water in the blue pot and place the clean, empty jars in the water. My mother always emphasized that the secret to the lids sealing, is that everything has to be as close to boiling hot as you can get it. Some people run the jars in the dishwasher on a hot rinse and hold cycle, and some people pour boiling water in the jars as they sit in the sink. But I prefer to immerse them in the boiling pot.
In a smaller sauce pan, halfway full of water, bring it to boiling, add the lids and bands and keep on a soft boil. Even the lids and bands have to be boiling hot!
PREPARE THE FIGS:
I wash them in cold water, and Katybug adds a little baking soda to make them squeaky clean. I’m sure she does that to get all the bird poop off, right? Just kidding!
Cut off the stems and the bad spots. For a double batch of preserves, which is what I did here, measure 6 heaping cups of whole figs, or you can measure them accurately after they are mashed.
Mash the figs with the potato masher. I’m sorry this looks sort of gross. Mash them as course or as fine as you like. This is six cups of mashed figs. Put them in the cooking pot.
To the mashed figs, add (for a double batch) 6 cups of sugar and two large boxes of strawberry or raspberry Jell-O.
COOKING:
Stir and cook on medium/high heat until boiling.
A light foam will form across the top. Just ignore it. It will dissipate soon. No need to skim it off.
Continue stirring and boiling.
Until it looks a deep, gorgeous shade of red like this. The texture changes and the liquid begins to shine. This takes about 20-25 minutes.
It is done when a drop of the liquid hangs off the edge of the spoon. Look closely, and you will see it. I’m sorry. I took this photo six times, and still could not find a background that would make that droplet show up better than this. I know previously I said, “coat the spoon”, but it’s pretty much the same.
CANNING:
As quickly as you can, remove a few of the jars from the boiling pot with the small tongs and put them on a towel.
Put the canning funnel into the jar. (Can you tell I’ve been using it for 20+ years? Sad. I need a new, bright, shiny stainless one, which I will NEVER go out and buy. Never.)
I wear an oven mit on my left hand to hold the jar, while I fill it with the boiling liquid.
Using a clean dish cloth, wipe the rim clean, so that the rubber lid can make a solid seal.
Put the hot lids and bands on the jars, and screw down tightly.
Immerse the jars into the boiling water bath, making sure they are covered.
Boil them for 15 minutes.
Remove from the boiling pot and place on a towel to cool. Some people turn them upside to make sure the boiling liquid makes that final seal. Turn them over after about ten minutes and as they cool, they will seal and you will hear a ping or a pop. That is the lid sealing tightly to the jar rim. It is the wonderful sound of success.
Here are the fruits of my labors–14 half-pint jars and 3 pint jars. I prefer the half-pint jars, but I ran out, so the second double batch had to go in big jars, too.
And it’s a great feeling to be so productive before ten in the morning! After cleaning up, I rushed to the computer to make a timely post for you, but the internet was OUT, and it was out all day.
I hope you enjoy making these preserves for your family.
If you’ve ended up here looking for something kid-friendly to do with figs, please come back and leave a comment letting us know how you like it.
Psst! I feel a contest coming on. My birthday is coming up and I want to give you a gift!
BW
Filed under: Bayou Woman Cooks | Tagged: "fig preserves", "raspberry preserves", "strawberry preserves", figs
Great recipe! My 12 yo daughter made it this afternoon. I took a few pics of her first canning. We did not hear the pop! They look sealed….are they if it didn’t pop? Husband said best he has ever tasted…
Oh, wonderful! I’m so proud of your daughter! To check to see if they are sealed, touch the center top of the lid, and see if it dips down. If it goes down and stays down, it is sealed. If it’s already dipped down, then it is sealed. If it goes down and pops right back up, it is not sealed.
If Termite hasn’t solved the bird problem, send them my way. I picked 2 more gallons this afternoon and THERE’S STILL MORE! I’m really getting tired of figs! Between cannin, pickin, laundry, cooking supper, grocery run (had to get more sugar and Jello for tomorrow) and the cleaning up, I’m shot! To quote Yogi, tomorrow will be “Deja Vu, all over again”.
I just need to come get your figs!!!!!
Yummy! So you have fresh preserves now (not that the ones that have been hanging around in the pantry aren’t just as delicious)… when are you having us over for breakfast?
Any time you decide to come spend the night!
Everyone – my internet service has been mostly out for two days. Technician can’t come until Thursday, so if you don’t hear from me, that’s why.
BW
Are you TRYING to get me to short out my keyboard?!?! LOL That looks delicious! It would be so much fun to be able to cook together or can somthing like this! I have not forgotten your gift by the way – I still have to let ‘it’ cure for a few more days! I promise its worth it!! Thanks for sharing this!!
It has to cure? Now you’ve really got me curious!
The baking soda kills any bugs that the eye missed plus (according to Grandma Orr) it makes the figs a little sweeter. I still have a smidge of your preserves left in the jar you gave me several years back. I had some on a biscuit this morning and they’re still yummy! And do NOT get rid of that canning funnel…Rach wants it when you’re finished with it. Right Rach?
I can’t believe that jam hasn’t crystallized by now! I’m afraid Rach is not a junker like us, K!
I hereby bequeath the canning funnel to Katy Bug… I have the fortunate circumstance that my mother will live forever to make me jelly! (So, come to think of it, Katy Bug, that probably means you won’t get the funnel either! Sorry! *lol*)
Maybe I’ll become famous one day and auction it off for thousands of dollars!
Tonight at choir practice, I struck a deal with a couple concerning next year’s figs. They are going to come pick all the figs and we’ll split them between us. They have used Peach Jello as well as the Strawberry and Raspberry Jello. Tomorrow they are coming over to pick and if they make the Peach, I’m due a jar. I’ll let y’all know.
Mmmmmm. Peach? I love peach preserves and have always bought but never made my own. Please let me know ASAP so I can make some if you say it’s good.
Well shucks. Now I DO want the funnel!
These pictures brought back so many memories about strawberry fig preserves. I had to call my mom and talk about it. I need to move back south although I do love my four seasons here and the snow.
I’m touched, and so glad you called your mom. Memories of our moms is all some of us have left. Enjoy her while you can, Ellen. Why don’t you come visit us down the bayou? I’m sure I could find you a snake or two!
Oh, I do so love the pictorial instructions! Wonderful job! And I’m going to try these this year. I make a lot of regular fig jam, but there are always those few people in my family that don’t like the figgy taste, so I’m going to make at least one batch of yours and try it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Well, you better make one batch of each! Because they do taste different from each other. These preserves are loved by those who don’t even like figs! You’re just beginning, and my tree is just about finished!
If a jar doesn’t seal, what do I do next?
I’m not sure how this question slipped by me, but I am just now seeing it. Well, you can keep the preserves in the frig. for up to a month. How many jars are we talking about? If it’s only a few, go ahead and give them to people who will eat them right away. Or keep in your fridge until you use them yourself.
I made the strawberry fig preserves last night and they turned out great. I did add two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice-just because my Mother always did that. I’m making another batch and giving them out in my Christmas baskets to my neighbors. A couple of my jars didn’t “pop”, so I took the rings off and the seals are on there and not coming off. I think they’ll be ok. Thanks for the recipe for the strawberry and the plain old fig preserves. I’ll cook them tomorrow.
I have made my strawberry fig preserves but it seems to liquidy will it thicken as it cools? It smells and looks great though and thank you fo the pictures!!
Yes it will thicken some, but if you did the spoon test, where the drop hangs off the edge for a second or two before dripping, then it’s good and ready. You’ll know better next time around, right?
Hi! Noticed you had asked me to come back by and leave a comment for you…Your recipe is already a hit with my family & friends. I made 10 pint jars and 5 quart jars last weekend and will be making more this upcoming weekend (all my jars are already gone!) I had some of the preserves left over in the pot, after putting all I could in the jars, and my husband immediately scooped up the leftovers and proceeded to eat it with a spoon! Great recipe! Thanks for sharing it with us. “C’est Si Bon!”
(I shared your Blog with everyone visiting my Stumbleupon pages, too.)
Hope you have a great day!
Thanks for coming back, Mare! That is fantastic! Yep, we eat our extras right away too–it’s just too good not to! Glad you liked and passed it on to your Stumbleupon community!
I saw where Danielle was asking how to tell if her preserves have cooked long enough and I have a friend who has a tip for seeing if your jelly is ready. She keeps a teaspoon in ice water by the stove. When she thinks the preserves are ready she puts a small amount of the juice from the preserves in the teaspoon and leaves it for a few minutes. When you go back and look and the juice has thickened it’s ready. Not thick enough, cook a while longer and try again.
I don’t know if that works with this recipe, but for sure the drip off the spoon works for this particular recipe. I think each “stage” of setting is different. Some are thicker than others, but thanks for the tip for future use, Debbie!
Can I substitute sugar-free jello?
Well, the sugar in the Jello is a crucial part of the “jelling” process. I know when I use “Sure Jel” to make jams/preserves, it says not to reduce the sugar. So, there should be some alternatives on the internet because they do sell sugar free jams at the grocery. Good luck and let us know if you will!
Just wanted to say we tried the recipe, just got done, can’t wait to try it, I do have a question, we have some figs that we froze from last year, can you use frozen figs for this recipe also? let me know.
Thanks
Kim
Magnolia,Texas
Kim, welcome to the bayou! I would say yes you can use them BUT since they do have water content, let them thaw AND drain before cooking. I hope you like the mock strawberry!
After looking over the fig tree today in my backyard in Lafayette, my friend and I realized these figs will not be ripe enough to pick for at least 2 and possibly 3 weeks.
Could it be the weather and temp in Lafayette, Louisiana is that different from lower Terrebonne Parish?
Or pehaps it is because southwest Louisiana has experienced one of worst droughts since 1930s.
Southeast Texas grain crops have been dramatically impacted by drought of 2009.
After re-reading the directions for canning preserves tonight, I realized that my hands and my neck injuries would make real canning an impossible for task for me to do alone.
However, while searching for Jello and canning supplies at Albertson’s this afternoon, I found something called “Simple Creations”
No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin
Stir 4 cups of fresh fruits (peaches, starwberries, apricots, cherries, grapes, pears, plums or other tender fruit…crushed
combine in mixing bowl crushed fruit, 1 !/2 cup of sugar, 3 Tbsp lemon joice from fresh lemon. Blend weel.
Let stand for 10 minutes
Bring to a boil
Gradually stir on contents of pectin package. Stir three minutes longer and heat to a boil.
Ladle and store in Bell Jars.
Will keep in fridge 3 weeks. in freezer one year.
So perhaps tomorrow afternoon I will try crushing and boing fresh peaches and see how this experiment works.
I hope it goes well for you, Lillian. Be sure and get some help with those heavy pots!
I just made a batch of your figs ala strawberry preserves and the 2nd jar just popped as I’m typing this! I has a little extra, not enough to even half fill a pint jar and it’s delicious! Thanks so much for the pictorial directions and recipe. I will share your website with my friends.
Fran Plauche’
South Louisiana
Welcome to this bayou, Fran! And thanks so much for taking the time to visit and let us know how this went for you. It is delish, isn’t it? You are very welcome for the pictorial directions. I have been canning since my kids were babies, (and I”m not ancient yet) but I can remember doing this when no one else was . . . and having older ladies make jokes about how cheap it was to just go buy a jar of jam. I find preserving the things you have at hand very rewarding . . . and on this site that is figs, about five different ways, and muscadines, (compliments of LilSis’s in-laws sharing their bounty), so far! If I had had enough fresh peaches given to me from my friend in Alabama who came to visit, I would have done some spiced pickled peaches, too! Again, merci boucoup!!!! BW
Hello again! I love doing things the ‘old fashioned’ way. In fact , the same day I made the figs ala strawberry, I had made my homemade bread dough for pizzas, the way my husband’s grandmother made. She too made the fig/strawberry preserves but no one had her recipe for that. When my husband walked inside, the first thing he said was, “Wow, it smells like mawmaw’s house!” What better compliment could I get? I sent a jar to my sis-n-law and she too had memories of her mawmaw when she tasted your recipe. She had passed about a year ago at the age of 93 so you can imagine the memories that come when you taste something that she would have made. Anyway, as I was waiting for my next harvest of figs to ripen, I spotted your old fashioned fig recipe. I couldn’t wait to try it. Well, today was the day and I had to write you again to tell you how great they came out! I am so pleased that I could do this but it’s only because of your easy directions and pictures. I didn’t double the batch since the birds only left me 4 cups worth but I did use 4 slices of lemon, following the example in the photo, not remembering that you were making double batch, and it taste great w/ 4 slices. Not bitter or over lemony at all. Just perfect! I think I’ve got one more good harvest left….now I have to decide, do I make another batch of strawberry fig or the ol’ fashioned recipe……hmmm. Have to do the family taste test and get back with ya’ to see which one wins!
Thanks again, Fran
I can’t thank you enough for this post! I have never made this before and your pictures and instructions made it sooo easy. I just did 24 1/2 pint jars of strawberry and some of blackberry/rasberry (YUMMY!)
(new jello flavor blackberry fusion?)
I am quite proud of my sefl heeeehhheee
Thanks again!
HI Stacie! Welcome to the bayou! I’m glad you were brave enough to try these preserves. They really are good! And the black fusion is a new jello flavor, as far as I know. Let me know if the blackberry was sticky, will you? BW
My dad has lots of figs every year, so make lots of preserves. Last year, for a change, I used blackberry Jello instead of strawberry and it was wonderful. My family loves everything blackberry and couldnt tell the difference.
Hi Carol and welcome to the bayou! I tried Blackberry Fusion this year, and have a question for you: What do you do to keep this jam from being sticky? How long do you cook it after it comes to a boil? Thanks! BW
Do you think this would work with Splenda for sugar, and sugar free jello????
Hi Margaret . . . I am searching for the reader who commented on this very question. I think you have to get some Sure Jell to use along with it s the sugar helps the fruit to “gel”. I think she found her information on the Splenda website that told her how to substitute it.
Here, Margaret. Check this out:
http://www.splenda.com/page.jhtml?id=splenda/faqs/everydayemails.inc#1
Awesome! never knew how much I liked fresh figs until the other day. Then I decided to look at canning them and found this recipe! My goodness! Strawberry Jam is my favorite, but now I’m not so sure!
Woo hoo! Candy! I hope you become another fan of this wonderfully easy recipe!!! Also, the old fashioned fig preserves is divine, as you will read in the comments section below the photo step by step recipe! Good luck!
We make a similar version to your recipe and it’s wonderful. We also save the excess juice and can just like the preserves. We put the juice in the jars and the fig chunks that’s left in the juice. It is a wonderful syrup. This keeps you from having wasted juice and gives you some good syrup to put on pancakes.
Great idea, Phil!
I forgot to mention that we just cut our figs in half rather than mash them. That probably has a lot to do with why we have so much juice. We just did a triple batch the other day and had 5 pints of fig preserves and
6 1/2 pints of syrup. Which is ok with us because we love the syrup.
Thanks for the pictures!!
I first discovered fig-strawberry preserves last year. A relative gave me a jar that was made in ol’south Georgia. It was absolutely fabulous. I had never had figs before ( except Fig newtons, of course). I have been searching for figs ever since. I live in Florida- sadly, they are not plentiful down here. Finally, I found some in the supermarket- $6 a pound!!!! But they were on sale–for $3/lb. So I bought some and some jello – now I have to track down small jars! I can’t wait to try it out!
Good luck with your jelly, Tammy, and welcome to the Bayou! If I can help you, please just let me know! BW
Wow- I followed the recipe and now I have 7 jars of fabulous fig-strawberry jam. It took two pounds of store bought figs to make 3cups of mashed figs. I had 4 lbs but not enough jello.
So after 2 days of being at work I now have time to try some more– today, I am trying blueberry/fig jam and more strawberry/fig jam. I bought 6 more lbs of figs while they were on sale…. Thanks so much for having this blog with the photos – it really helps the novice like me. I come from a long line of “canners” but now they are either to far away or have passed on ….
well, have to get busy !!!! ( oh, and I will be looking to plant some fig trees for the future!)
Thanks again –
Tammy in Fl.
Super, Tammy! This is what REALLY excites me about canning and sharing recipes . . . handing things down and keeping traditions alive. And now YOU, way down in Florida have joined the club! We do lots of fun things here at Bayou Woman, and I’d like to invite you to become a regular reader and you might win a gift from Community Coffee of Louisiana. They give away a gift each week by random drawing from folks who read daily and comment! So, come on down the bayou with us, cher! Thanks for the great comment!
Have you ever made FROG jam? It is a combination of figs, raspberry, orange and ginger. If you have, would you please share the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Renee! That sounds very interesting. I have never made it nor have I even heard of it before! Maybe one of the readers here has made it and will leave us a recipe soon! Good luck with your fig preserves! BW
Thanks, Alice!
OR Fran, you could make whole figs, which are very delicious in their own way! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience with us. There are many who share the joy of bringing back memories for family and friends. Makes me feel great!!!