Sunday, April 29, 2012

Fig and Ginger Jam



The fruit man's fig tree has come to the end of its run, with autumn now well and truly upon us.  Sandra shared the last of the figs with Lee and I, and with mine, I decided to make fig and ginger jam to preserve those glorious figs for the long winter months.  (In Melbourne, it certainly doesn't get as cold as in parts of Europe and North America, but it doesn't really warm up again until November-December.)

My fig and ginger jam was inspired by this recipe on TahiniToo.  However, I didn't use as many figs (as I didn't have as many ;)), I left the skins on, and I upped the fruit:sugar ratio so that I didn't have to use pectin.  However, I did take on board all of their glorious flavours, including the addition of vanilla, cinnamon and of course, fresh grated ginger. The resulting jam was just marvellous - I could eat it by the spoon from the jar.

My recipe is as follows:

900g fresh figs, washed and stalks removed, mashed
600g white sugar
1" knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sterilise some glass jars and their lids by boiling them, or heating them in the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes (my preferred method).

Put all of the jam ingredients into a large, heavy-based saucepan, and bring to the boil over medium heat.  In the meantime, place a saucer in the freezer.  Once the ingredients have come to the boil, reduce the heat and continue simmering the ingredients ("a rolling boil") until they begin to thicken.  Test whether the jam is ready by taking your saucer out of the freezer and dropping a small amount of jam onto it - leave it for around 30 seconds, then run your finger through the jam (being careful not to burn yourself) - if the jam does not run back into the gap made by your finger, then it is ready.  Otherwise, if it is still runny, keep boiling the jam, but be careful not to overboil it or you will get candy.

Once the jam is ready, pour it into the sterilised glass jars (ideally you should fill them almost to the top to eliminate air), then seal.  Allow the jam to cool on the bench in the jars.

Enjoy your jam however you fancy and remind yourself of summer on a cold day.

15 comments:

  1. I plan on making my own jam this year when the farmers market starts up. Thanks for your tips!

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  2. This looks delicious! I don't like regular commercial jams at all, but homemade ones with interesting flavours are completely different. This one sounds wonderful.

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  3. this sounds lovely - great flavours and even better with gifted figs

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  4. I love fig jam and I think this would be delicious with the cinnamon and ginger and vanilla added - great flavours! xx

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  5. Ooh - I'm already planning lots of things you could use this for...how about to put in the centre of a thumbprint cookie?

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  6. This flavor combo sounds delightful...I always steer away from the ordinary strawberry, grape and raspberry...so many better options...like this one :)

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  7. I love figs and my neighbors have a tree than rains figs. They will give me as many as I will take. This year I am determined to make Fig Jam. Nice Post.

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  8. Ahh alas the end of the figs! I enjoyed them vicariously! :P

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  9. I just adore figs! I’ve made fig jan and conserve in the past, but the addition of ginger must have taken this over the top! Something to bring a bit of summer to your winter table Enjoy!!

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  10. I really love figs and will have to try this recipe. My husband pointed out that there is a fig tree growing next to our patio that a bird must have planted for us. It is too close to the patio, so we will have to dig it out and move it to another part of the yard. I am hoping it will survive and bear lots of figs for us.

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  11. Oh, I was hoping you were going to post this recipe! Thank you so much...I have never made fig jam and I would love to try it when fig season hits here so I am marking this for then. It looks just wonderful, and such a pretty jar, too.

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  12. Made this jam today (despite sweltering temperatures) and it was delicious!

    Thank-you for the recipe!

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  13. I made this last night after work. It is a wonderful combination of figs, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla essence. Such a lovely suggestion, I give you full credit for mixing these flavours so beautifully. I hope you don't mind that I shared it on my blog. Kind regards Merryn
    http://merrynsmenu.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/fig-and-ginger-jam.html

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  14. Hi Merryn, I don't mind at all - glad you enjoyed it.

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Thanks for dropping by!