Fig Preserves Recipe without Pectin

Name: Fig Preserves Recipe without Pectin
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 2 h 15 min
Total time: 14 h 20 min
Yield: 3 (8 ounce) jars
Ingredients: 1 ½ lbs. fresh figs; 1 ½ lbs. granulated sugar; ½ of a lemon

User Reviews

5.0

57 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 5 mins
Additional Time
12 hrs
Total Time
14 hrs 20 mins
Servings
3 (8 ounce) jars
Calories
65 kcal
Course
Condiments
Cuisine
American

Fig Preserves Recipe without Pectin

Maisie Hall

Report

These old-fashioned fig preserves require just 3 ingredients -- and no pectin! One of the easiest jams to make, there's very little prep work necessary.

Share:

I Made This!

42 people made this

Print

12 people printed this

Save this

34 people saved this

Ingredients

Servings

1 ½ lbs. fresh figs, stems removed
1 ½ lbs. granulated sugar (approximately 3 ¼ cups)
½ of a lemon, sliced paper-thin and seeds removed

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Place the figs in a large pot. Pour the sugar over the figs, cover the pot, and let sit overnight.
Heat the pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves (this only takes a few minutes). Reduce the heat to low, add the lemon slices, and cook for about 2 hours (or until the syrup is thick). If the figs are particularly large, I like to use a wooden spoon or a potato masher to gently break apart the big chunks as the figs soften. If you have a deep fry or candy thermometer, you’re looking for a jelling point of 220-225°F.
Divide the figs and syrup between 3 sterilized 8-ounce glass jars, leaving ¼-inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Wipe the rims clean with a damp cloth, then secure the lids and bands.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if your altitude is above 6,000 feet). Carefully remove the jars to a towel on the counter. Let stand, undisturbed, for 12 hours at room temperature. Check the seals after 12 hours by pressing the center of the lids. If the lid gives or the center button remains popped up, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Properly sealed jars will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 8 months. Refrigerate after opening.

Equipments used:

Notes

Less sugar. While many old time fig preserves recipes call for equal parts figs and sugar, some folks prefer a less-sweet jar of preserves. Feel free to play around with the ratio and reduce the amount of sugar in your pot to suit your taste preferences -- especially if the figs that you're using are already very sweet on their own.
Fig preserves without lemon. The lemon adds a nice acidic balance to the sweet figs, and gives the spread a marmalade-like taste. It's also an important ingredient if you want your preserves to be shelf-stable. If you're just planning to refrigerate your preserves for up to 1 month (and skip the hot water bath), then you can omit the lemons if you like.
Scale the recipe to make a larger batch. If you have a bunch of figs available, just multiply all of the ingredients to create more preserves. For instance, use 3 lbs. of figs, 3 lbs. of sugar and 1 whole lemon.
If you don't want to bother with canning the jars in a water bath, no problem! Just transfer the jam to jars, let them cool completely at room temperature, and then store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
I used Brown Turkey figs here, but you can substitute with Black Mission figs or just about any other fresh figs available.
Do not overcook the preserves or the mixture will become too thick to spread. The preserves thicken up significantly as they cool and set, so don't worry if the syrup still looks fairly thin at the end. The total cooking time may vary -- in some instances you might need less than 2 hours, in some instances more. This is why I find a candy thermometer to be so helpful -- you'll know exactly when it reaches the jelling point of 220-225° F.
If possible, weigh your fruit after trimming the stems. This will give you a more accurate measurement to make sure that you have the correct amount of fruit. For instance, I started with about 1 ¾ lbs. of fresh figs before trimming, which left me with 1 ½ lbs. of fruit to use in the recipe.
Slice the lemon paper-thin before adding it to the pot. This way you'll end up with bits of lemon throughout, but you won't have any big chunks to bite into.
Use a wooden spoon to break up the large figs as they cook if you prefer a jam-like consistency. For whole fig preserves, leave the figs intact (they will still be soft and spreadable).
Leave ¼-inch of headspace in each jar. The proper amount of headspace is important to ensure a vacuum seal. If there's too little headspace, the preserves may expand and bubble out when air is being forced out from under the lid during processing.
Recipe adapted from Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook & Kitchen Reader.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 1tablespoon Calories 65kcal (3%) Carbohydrates 17g (6%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 1mg (0%) Potassium 33mg (1%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 16g (32%) Vitamin A 20IU (0%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 5mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3(8 ounce) jars

Amount Per Serving

Calories 65 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	1tablespoon
Calories	65kcal	3%
Carbohydrates	17g	6%
Protein	1g	2%
Fat	1g	2%
Saturated Fat	1g	5%
Polyunsaturated Fat	1g	6%
Monounsaturated Fat	1g	5%
Sodium	1mg	0%
Potassium	33mg	1%
Fiber	1g	4%
Sugar	16g	32%
Vitamin A	20IU	0%
Vitamin C	1mg	1%
Calcium	5mg	1%
Iron	1mg	6%