Maybe I’m posting too many fig recipes, but let’s face it – this has been a terrible summer in our part of the world for tomatoes and squash. The deer ate the okra and a few days ago I saw a squirrel sitting in the garden clutching a small eggplant. Having the fig tree at peak production has been the thrill of summer gardening, so please don’t been miffed about one more recipe. This recipe is for fresh fig and lemon preserves, although the portions would be right for another fruit if you are not enamored by fresh figs or don’t want to fork out the grocery store price. This recipe is a favorite because it doesn’t use pectin and it doesn’t require minding once it’s in a slow simmer. The lemon and ginger are a perfect partner for sweet figs. It’s also a favorite because it is fairly easy with very predictable results unlike some preserves recipes.
Here is the basic idea: stem a bunch of figs and cut them in half, slice a lemon, and dice a small piece of fresh ginger. Put that in a pot with the sugar and bring it to boil for one minute. Turn the heat down to a low setting and just let the preserves simmer. The little bubbles will tell you everything is fine and you can go about your business doing other stuff for about an hour.
Fresh Fig and Lemon Preserves is more than just a delicious biscuit topper – although that’s nothing to sneer about. Fig pizzas with goat cheese are marvelous. Vanilla ice cream with a dollop of preserves is the yummiest dessert there is and – maybe this is weird, but for a quick glaze for grilled chicken a spoonful of this preserves is just the ticket. As a hostess gift, well no one has ever expressed displeasure! As you can see the possibilities are endless. Even if you’ve never tried to make preserves you’ll find this recipe to be easy and the results impressive. Why not try a batch this weekend? Enjoy!
(recipe may be halved)
Ingredients
10 cups of fresh figs, stemmed and sliced in half (about 4 pounds)
1 lemon thinly sliced – seeds removed
1 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger
4 ½ cups sugar
Pinch of salt
Directions
Put all ingredients in a Dutch oven or large pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Boil 1 minute and reduce mixture to a slow simmer.
Skim some of the foam from the top and let the mixture simmer for an hour stirring a few times to make sure the heat is consistent.
Bubbles should be throughout the mixture but not at the edges of the pot.
Remove from heat and pour into canning jars,
Store in the refrigerator.
