Fig Jam with Grand Marnier

Beautiful fresh figs

Summer is such a wonderful time of the year. Besides the warm weather (which I love and thrive in) we also get an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables.  Trying to save some of the wonderfully fresh produce, for our cold winter months. is something I learned as a child. All summer long, my mother and grandmother would spend days canning peaches and tomatoes.  My mom also put up tons of jam!  She would start in the spring by making black raspberry jam, with all the berries she didn’t use in her black raspberry pies. They grew wild around our property and, we would pick colanders full!  When my children were young, every June I would pack them up and make the trip from Long Island to New Jersey, so that we could help my mom pick.  My kids loved picking with my mom. They knew that pie would soon follow! Bees love berries, and an occasional sting was the price we paid for picking. But, generally it was just fun!  My mom made the best pie! However, making jam was her thing.  It seems I’ve inherited that gene! To this day, my favorite jam is black raspberry!

I recently made a trip to Corrado’s market in Paterson, and came home with two big, beautiful trays of figs! And then the jam making began!! I spent three entire days prepping figs and grapes from my yard and then processing them into beautiful jam. Three batches of fig and one grape. Two of those batches were my favorite fig jam (flavored with Grand Marnier) this jam is to die for!! I did one batch of Fig Balsamic, too! Figs are a part of my mediterranean heritage and, are something I grew up with.  My grandfather would always bring them home when I was a child.  Initially, I wasn’t very fond of them. Unless of course, they were Fig Newtons!!  Figs have a grown up acquired taste, that takes some time getting used to.  When I did, I grew to enjoy their unique texture and flavor.  Eating them straight out of the bag or, sliced with cheese and a glass of wine are my favorite ways to enjoy them.
This jam was scrumptious! I made some crostini with goat cheese and a drizzle of fig jam…yum!!  I still need to make one more batch before fig season is over!

Chopping the figs

Measuring them for the jam

In the pot with the orange juice

Boiling down the mixture

Jars being sterilized 

And of course the lids

Beautiful ruby colored jam…

Now seal the jars...

And enjoy!!

  
Fig Jam

Makes 6 half-pint jars.  PickYourOwn.org.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups roughly chopped fresh figs (stems, thick skins, and blemishes removed)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 package low sugar pectin
4 cups sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare canner and wash/sterilize 6 half-pint mason jars. Keep jars in hot (not boiling) water until ready to use.

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine figs, lemon juice, and water. Sprinkle in pectin and stir until combined. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the mixture has reached a full roiling boil, add the sugar all at once (it helps to have it pre-measured into a bowl).

Return mixture to a hard boil that cannot be stirred down, and boil for 1 full minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Ladle hot jam into jars and top with lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water and let cool completely, 12-24 hours. Check seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used immediately.

Variations:
- Honey Fig Jam: Add 2-4 tablespoons of honey to the mixture with the sugar. If you are using a mild/light honey, add more as needed. A darker honey has a stronger flavor and will need much less. Taste as you go and don't make the same mistake I did.
- Balsamic Fig Jam: Add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar to fig mixture prior to cooking.
- Grand Marnier Spiked Fig Jam: Replace all or part of water with fresh orange juice. Stir in 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liquor to fig jam after removing from heat.