Step 1 - Pick the figs! (or buy them already
picked)
It depends upon how much you want to make. I generally use pint jars
for canned figs. An average of 11 pounds is needed per canner load of 9
pints. That's about 4 dozen medium to large figs. 
Step 3 - Wash the jars and lids
Need lids, rings and replacement jars? 
- 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 Home-canned Figs- Easily! Making and canning your own figs is also quite easy. Here's
how to make it, in 12 easy steps and completely illustrated. These
directions work equally well for regular sugar, low sugar, fruit juice-sweetened
and Splenda-sweetened jam.
For more information about figs, see Fig Picking Tips. See How to Make Homemade Fig Preserves and Fig Jam and Making Candied figs and Other fig recipes. Also 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 Canning DirectionsThis example shows you how to make canned (or bottled) jam; regular or with added seasoning. The yield from this recipe is about 7 pint jars.
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Sugar syrup proportions for 7 to 9-pint jars of figs (double it for 9 quart jars) |
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| Type of
syrup (Choose ONE) |
Water (cups) |
Fruit juice (cups) |
Sugar (cups) |
Powdered Splenda (tm) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain water | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | no calorie sweetener | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1/4 cup |
| 3 | Fruit juice (white grape or peach juice works well) | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 4 | Reduce calorie / fruit juice | 4 | 3 | 0 | |
| 5 | Fruit juice and Splenda | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1/2 cup |
| 6 | very low calorie | 7 | 0 | 1/4 | 1/4 cup |
| 7 | very light (10% sugar) | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | light (20% sugar) | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | medium (30% sugar) | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Put the figs in a large pot of
already boiling water (so all the figs
are covered with water) and boil 2 minutes. Quickly but gently remove the figs
at 2 minutes and drain.
Gently boil the figs in
sugar or fruit juice or other syrup for 5 minutes. Light syrup is generally
preferred for taste!
Notes:
Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice per quart jar or 1 tablespoon per pint jar to each of the jars. Alternatively, you may add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid (also goes under the brand name "fruit fresh") per quart or 1/4 teaspoon per pint to the jars. This is to increase the acidity and help prevent discoloration and spoilage.
Fill
jars with hot figs, gently tapping the bottom of the jar on the
countertop to help pack the figs down gently (tapping does it without
breaking the figs)
Add
the hot syrup (in which you heated the figs in step 8), leaving 1/4 to 1/2-inch headspace.
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! Place them into the canner
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 45 minutes at sea level. 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.
To adjust, process according to the recommendations in the table below:
| Table 1. Recommended process time for Figs in a boiling-water canner. | ||||
| Process Time at Altitudes of | ||||
| Jar Size | 0 - 1,000 ft | 1,001 - 3,000 ft | 3,001 - 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
| Pints | 45 min | 50 | 55 | 60 |
| Quarts | 50 | 55 | 60 | 65 |
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 Home Canned Figs - makes 7 pint jars, 16 oz each** |
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| Item | Quantity | Cost in 2006 | Source | Subtotal |
| Figs | 11 lbs (about 2 gallon, or 4 dozen large figs) | $8.00/gallon | Pick your own | $8.00 |
| Canning jars (8 oz size), includes lids and rings | 7 jars | $7.50/dozen | Grocery stores, like Public, Kroger, Safeway and sometimes, Big Lots, local hardware stores and big box stores | $7.50 |
| Sugar | 1 cup | $0.50 | Grocery stores, like Public, Kroger, Safeway and sometimes, Big Lots, local hardware stores and big box stores | $0.50 |
| Total | $16.00 total or about $2.30 per pint 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
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