The Best Quick Homemade Fig Jam Recipe | Foodal (2024)

FAQs

Do figs need to be peeled for jam? ›

Fresh figs are usually eaten raw. They taste best eaten straight off the tree, ideally still warm from the sun. The entire fig is edible, from the thin skin to the red or purplish flesh and the myriad tiny seeds, but they can be peeled if you wish.

Fig Jam. Fig preserves are not technically the same as fig jam, although this particular recipe yields a jar of preserves that's quite similar to jam. In general, jam is made with mashed fruit while preserves have whole fruit or large pieces of fruit throughout.

A store-bought jar of fig jam will generally have an expiration date printed on it, though it's actually a best by or use by date. Unopened, it will last for one to two years in a cool, dry pantry. However, once opened, it should be refrigerated immediately and will typically stay good for six to twelve months.

Figs that are too ripe (insides oozing out), make for a bitter jam.

When it comes to raw fruit, you can easily have 2-3 figs in a day. If you are having dried figs, stick to 3 figs and do not have them without soaking overnight. Our body can absorb the nutrients and digest some dried fruits and nuts in a better way when they are soaked well.

Sprinkle the baking soda over the figs; cover with the 12 cups of boiling water. Soak for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This helps remove any latex from the skin of any slightly under-ripe figs.

Take the jam off the heat while testing. Push your finger through the jam on the plate - you're looking for it to wrinkle and not flood back in to fill the gap. If it's not ready, turn the pan back on, simmer for five minutes and test again.

Fig jam and soft cheeses

Fig jam and its spicy taste can be paired with goat's fresh cheeses, such as Camembert and Brie.

Preserve fresh flavor.

Strawberry jam with added pectin can be cooked in as little as ten minutes, preserving that fresh berry flavor and quality. Strawberry jam without added pectin needs to be cooked up to four times longer to reach the gel stage, resulting in a much sweeter, less fresh-tasting jam.

A jam's "best by" date generally indicates peak quality rather than safety. However, if jams—particularly homemade jam—have been stored for an extended period or have visible spoilage signs such as mold, they should be discarded to prevent any risk of foodborne illness.

Why are my fig preserves runny? ›

Sadly, sugar plays a huge role in set. If you cut the amount in the recipe and you don't compensate with a pectin designed for low sugar preserving, your jam may well be runny. Did you check for set while the jam was cooking? Any time a recipe gives you a cooking time, it's simply an approximation.

It seems the general consensus is that it's the (lack of) sugar content, which I had started wondering after I posted. The organic jams have a third less sugar per serving, which is probably why they are molding (and why they taste better 😢).

Can you eat fig skin? Fig skin is edible, although some people don't like the texture. You'll find that early season figs have thin, delicate peels while late season fig skins are thicker and more robust. If eating the peels isn't your thing, feel free to remove the skin with a vegetable peeler.

Technically, there is at least one dead wasp per fig. However, you are in no way eating a live wasp. That wasp exoskeleton is always broken down before we bite into figs. The figs produce a special enzyme called ficin, which breaks down the insect's body and turns it into protein that gets absorbed by the plant.

Although it's not necessary to peel figs (even though in Italy that's generally the way fresh figs are eaten), the skin of a ripe fig should detach easily, removing only the thin, outer layer. An unripe fig when peeled will take much more of the flesh with the skin.

Freezing Figs

Figs freeze well with or without sugar, peeled or unpeeled. They should be fully ripe for best flavor. Wash ripe figs thoroughly, remove stems, peel if desired, leave whole or cut in half.