Step 1 - Pick the figs! (or buy them already
picked)
Step 2 - How much fruit?
Step 3 - Wash the jars and lids
Need lids, rings and replacement jars? 
Step 5 -Wash and cut up the figs!
At
left is a sample slice of a perfectly ripe but not over-ripe fig. It
depends on the variety, but generally, they should be pink/yellowish and not
brown inside....
You'll need 4 to 5 cups (maximum 5 cups)
of crushed figs. You'll notice, I just heap them in a 4-cup measuring cup,
to account for the air spaces. That's about 5 cups, probably only 4 if I
crushed them and packed them down more. It doesn't need to be precise.
(Believe me, I get emails from the obsessive-compulsives... sigh)
I
just use a sharp-edged plastic potato masher (shown at right) to mush them
while cooking)- Everything you need to get started with waterbath canning (fruits,pickles, jams, jellies, salsa, sauces and tomatoes)
- 21-1/2 qt. enamel water bath canner
- Funnel, jar lifter, lid lifter, bubble freer spatula
- Ball Blue Book
PickYourOwn.org
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How to Make Homemade Fig Jam - Easily!Making and canning your own fig jam is also quite easy. If you've never tasted it, it is quite amazing. If you like strawberry jam, you'll love fig jam. Here's how to make it, in 13 easy steps and completely illustrated. These directions work equally well for regular sugar, low sugar, fruit juice-sweetened and Splenda-sweetened jam. Any variations will be spelled out in the directions inside the pectin, and below!For more information about figs, see Fig Picking Tips. See this page for directions about how to can figs. See this page for how to make fig-strawberry jam. See this page for Blueberry Jam directions, and for strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, peach, etc., and other types of jam, see this jam-making page! For easy applesauce or apple butter directions, click on these links. Ingredients and Equipment
Fig Jam-making DirectionsThis example shows you how to make fig jam; regular or with added seasoning. The yield from this recipe is about 7 eight-ounce jars (which is the same as 3.5 pints).
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| Type of jam |
Type of pectin to buy |
Sweetener |
| regular | no-sugar or regular | 7 cups of sugar |
| low sugar | no-sugar | 4.5 cups of sugar |
| lower sugar | no-sugar | 2 cups sugar and 2 cups of Splenda |
| no sugar | no-sugar | 4 cups of Splenda |
| natural | no-sugar | 3 cups fruit juice (grape, peach, apple or mixed) |
Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup
of sugar or other sweetener and Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar. If you are not using sugar, you'll just have to stir more vigorously to prevent the pectin from clumping.
For more about the types of pectin sold, see this page!
Notes:
Step 7 - Mix the figs with the pectin and bring to a full boilMix the figs (4 to 5 cups), pectin (1 packet), water (1/2 cup) and
lemon juice (1/4 cup) in the pot on the stove and get it cooking.
Notes about pectin: I usually add about 20% more pectin (just open another pack and add a little) or else the jam is runnier than I like. With a little practice, you'll find out exactly how much pectin to get the thickness you like.
Is your jam too runny? Pectin enables you to turn out perfectly set jam every time. Made from natural apples, there are also natural no-sugar pectins that allow you to reduce the sugar you add by half or even eliminate sugar!
Get them all here at the best prices on the internet!
Step 8 - Add the remaining sugar and bring to
a boilWhen the fig mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar or
other sweetener, and then bring it back to a boil and boil hard
for 1 minute.
Foam...
What is it? Just jam with a lot of air from the boiling. 
But it
tastes more like, well, foam, that jam, so most people remove it. It is
harmless,
though. Some people add 1 teaspoon of butter or margarine to the mix in
step 6 to reduce foaming, but food experts debate whether that may contribute to
earlier spoilage, so I usually omit it and skim.
But save the skimmed foam! You can recover jam from it to use fresh! See this page for directions!
Step
10 - Testing for
"jell" (thickness)I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency I like, then I know the jam is ready. If not, I mix in a little more pectin (about 1/s to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute. Get a few jars out of the dishwasher (still hot) and get your funnel, lid lifter and ladle ready. I put an old towel down - it makes cleanup easier.
Why? Otherwise, the fruit will often float to the top of the jar.
This isn't a particular problem; you can always stir the jars later when you
open them; but some people get fussy about everything being "just so", so
I've included this step! Skipping this step won't affect the quality
of the jam at all.
Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them.
This is where the jar tongs
and lid lifter come in really
handy!
Step 13 - Process the jars in the boiling
water bathKeep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water
boiling. In general, boil them for 5 minutes. I say "in general"
because you have to process (boil) them longer at higher altitudes than sea
level, or if you use larger jars, or if you did not
sanitize the jars and
lids right before using them. The directions inside every box of
pectin will tell you exactly. The directions on the pectin tend to be
pretty conservative. Clemson University says you only need to process
them for 5 minutes. I usually hedge my bets and start pulling them out
after 7 minutes, and the last jars were probably in for 10. I rarely
have a jar spoil, so it must work.
Note: Some people don't even boil the jars; they just ladle it hot into hot jars, but putting the jars in the boiling water bath REALLY helps to reduce spoilage! To me, it makes little sense to put all the working into making the jam and then not to process the jars to be sure they don't spoil!
Step 14 - Remove and cool the jars - Done!Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.
Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last about 18 months. After that, the get darker in color and start to get runny. They still seem safe to eat, but the flavor is bland. So eat them in the first 12 to 18 months after you prepare them!
Other Equipment:From left to right:
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 You can get all of the tools in a kit here:  |
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Home Canning KitsFeatures:
This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)! There is also s simple kit with just the canner and rack, and a pressure canner, if your want to do vegetables (other than tomatoes). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here! Average Customer Review:
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Canning booksCanning & Preserving for Dummies |
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The Ball Blue Book of PreservingThis is THE book on canning! My grandmother used this book when I was a child. It tells you in simple instructions how to can almost anything; complete with recipes for jam, jellies, pickles, sauces, canning vegetables, meats, etc. If it can be canned, this book likely tells you how! Click on the link below for more information and / or to buy (no obligation to buy)
Click here for more information from Amazon.com about the |
Summary - Cost of Making Homemade Fig Jam - makes 7 jars, 8 oz each** |
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| Item | Quantity | Cost in 2009 | Source | Subtotal |
| Figs | 5 lbs (about 1 gallon) | $8.00/gallon | Pick your own | $8.00 |
| Canning jars (8 oz size), includes lids and rings | 7 jars | $7.00/dozen | Grocery stores, like Public, Kroger, Safeway and sometimes, Big Lots, local hardware stores and big box stores | $4.00 |
| Sugar | 4.5 cups | $1.25 | Grocery stores, like Public, Kroger, Safeway and sometimes, Big Lots, local hardware stores and big box stores | $1.25 |
| Pectin (low sugar, dry) | 1 and a third boxes * | $1.67 per box in 2009 | Grocery stores, like Public, Kroger, Safeway and sometimes, Big Lots, local hardware stores and big box stores | $2.00 |
| Total | $15.25 total or about $2.18 per jar |
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* - This assumes you already have the pots, pans, ladles, and reusable equipment. Note that you can reuse the jars! If you already have jars or reuse them, just buy new lids (the rings are reusable, but the flat lids are not)! |
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Answers to Common Questions
Comments, Tips and Feedback:
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