Preserving fresh figs with this Strawberry Fig Jam recipe will fool anyone into thinking they’re eating strawberry preserves made with fresh berries. Cooking the figs with strawberry jello does the trick!
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An Old Fashioned Pantry Staple
Ever since I can remember, Mama always had jars of fig preserves somewhere in the house. So did my Maw-maw. With an abundance of figs from the trees in their yards, they made hay while the sun was shining. The figs needed to be picked at just the right time, or they’d fall from the branch and waste away or be eaten by birds and other critters. That’s why we always had fig preserves all year round.
Fig Preserves were and still are enjoyed by many. They are simply made with sugar, cooked on the stove, and packed into prepared jars. Eating fig jam on a buttered biscuit or toast was sometimes the only sweet treat we had. We didn’t have many store-bought items. There was really no need.
Fig preserves aren’t just for spreading. They’re also good to bake with, like with this Fig Cake recipe. It’s a spiced cake that’s easy to assemble using pantry staples kept in most kitchens.
The Strawberry Fig Jam
Besides the fig jam recipe, another method to save that precious fruit later came along by making them taste like a different fruit. Enter the amazing, incredible, delicious, incognito Strawberry Fig Jam.
Here, the fresh figs are cooked with strawberry jello. The fig does such an excellent job at impersonating someone else that most people think they are eating strawberries. The results are a sweet strawberry flavor with a red tint and tiny seeds that make the jam hard to recognize from the real deal.
While making a fresh batch recently, my daughter was upset to discover no real strawberries in the recipe. I told her she’d get over it once she tasted the results again. And she did! She said she’s accepted it and moved on.
A Few Cooking Notes
This jam is so easy to make. The hardest part is peeling the figs. All it takes is 6 cups of sugar, 4 small boxes of strawberry jello, and 7 cups of fresh figs. They cook up into a sweet-tasting spread in about 30 to 45 minutes.
Then they are ladled into hot sterilized jars and topped with lids that have been boiled for sterilization. After the rings are screwed onto the jars, the tops begin popping as they cool. This means the center of the lid is pulled into the jar, ensuring the jam is preserved.
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Strawberry Fig Jam
Preserving fresh figs with this Strawberry Fig Jam recipe will fool anyone into thinking they are eating strawberry jam made with fresh berries. Cooking the figs with strawberry jello does the trick!
Ingredients
- 4 small boxes of strawberry jello
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 7 cups fresh figs, peeled
- 6 cups of sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Dissolve jello in water.
Stir to combine all of the ingredients into a heavy saucepan.
Cook over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes.
Stir occasionally and skim the top of any foam discarding it from the jam.
Pour into sterilized jars and cover with a sterilized canning lid.
Screw on the jar ring-tops and allow the jars to sit and cool until the lids make a popping sound indicating the preserves are sealed in the jars.
Notes
- To tell when jam is cooked, place a small spoonful of juice (syrup)on a small plate, let it cool for a few seconds then run your finger through the syrup. If the juice stays apart then it is finished cooking. If the juice runs back together, continue cooking.
- To fill the jars, use a funnel. If you don’t have one, cut the bottom of a plastic cup and place inside the jar. Wrap a towel over the jar to protect your hands from the heat and twist it to hold the sterilized jar tightly with one hand.
- Take a ladle with the other hand and fill the jar. Ladle the hot mixture into the serialized jar filling to about an inch from the top of the jar. Take a knife and pass it between the jam and jar to release any air bubbles.
- After filling, clean the outside of the jars with a warm, wet dish towel.
Keywords: strawberry fig jam, fig preserves
Spreading Strawberry Fig Jam on toast or a biscuit is the most common way to enjoy the preserves, but it’s fun to discover other ways. Like warmed up in the microwave and poured on top of a bowl of ice cream.
Yum!
How do you prefer devouring fig preserves?
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Ann Voskamp
Enjoying your 5 days of figs series. I didn’t know the trick to tell when they have cooked enough for preserves. The cake looks yummy! Thanks for sharing your stories and recipes in this blog. Looking forward to many more!