Whole fig jam

I had never eaten such a jam before and I was very curious about the taste. As soon as I tasted it, I was really impressed by the taste. It is aromatic, the fruits were whole, and the syrup was brilliant. I won't tell you that the whole family fought over that jar until I finished it and that my mother still remembers that wonderful jam.

As this year I had the first fruits on the fig trees, my first thought was to make whole fig jam like the one I received from Sibel. Luckily for me, I have 2 fig trees in my yard which, although still small, are full of fruit. I am fascinated by these fruit trees and I wanted to have at least one in my yard. The nice thing is that as a child I used to play in the yard where I now live because I was friends with the daughter of the former owners.

Her mother had fig trees in her yard and every summer we ate figs. My fig trees are the offspring of those fig trees and it seems to me brilliant how the universe works. My mother-in-law also had a fig tree in her yard that produced some huge and very sweet fruit. The ones they couldn't eat fresh, they dried to have during the winter.

How do we make a perfect jam with whole fruits?

For this whole fig jam you need small and not very ripe fruits. The best are ripe green figs. The black ones are much softer and do not keep their shape as well during boiling. Of course you can use any figs you have on hand. However, if you buy them, choose the smallest and firmest ones. You can make a fig cake from the ripest ones.

In addition to the fruit, you also need sugar and water. I used gelling sugar or jam sugar. It has pectin in it and so the jam sets faster. Regular sugar is also good, but you may need to boil the jam longer. First, we make a syrup from sugar and water in which we will boil the fruit. In order for the fruit to remain whole, the syrup must be boiled separately.

Boil the whole fig jam over medium heat in a large, roomy saucepan. I have a 10-liter one that I use more for jams. Being a large, wide saucepan, the liquid evaporates faster and the jam sets more easily. To know when it's ready, you can test it very easily. Put a plate in the freezer and when it's frozen, drip some of the hot syrup onto it.

Wait for it to cool and check the consistency. If the syrup is set, the jam is ready. If not, leave it until the syrup has set like liquid honey. The result is a wonderful, aromatic and incredibly tasty jam! Try my strawberry jam recipe, another aromatic, tasty jam with a perfect color. Perfect for all the family's cravings!