Fig Jam

Autumn! I've been waiting all year for this recipe, waiting for all the figs from my friend's fig tree to ripen so that I could make my favourite jam in the world. Now yours too. What's not to love about fig jam? It's great on toast, on scones (not my scones though...). It's delicious on ice-cream and adds a bit of sweetness to a really sharp piece of cheddar. 

I received a text from my friend saying the birds have eaten most of the figs, but I could have the 6 that were salvageable? I also received a photo of the figs. While they looked pretty nice, I could see at once there were not enough to make jam.

I went to the Queen Victoria Markets instead to get my figs. The Vic Market is a great spot to shop, and going there gave me the chance to talk with fruit and veggie growers about the poor state of figs because of the lack of rain. Or it was spiel to get me to pay a bit more for the figs? I am so naïve.

So anyway, here is a simple, yet pretty foolproof recipe for fig jam. I halved the recipe that's here and I still ended up with a dozen jars. 

Fig Jam

5.5 kg figs
3 lemons
4 kg sugar

The night before:

Cut figs into rough pieces, chop the lemons finely (include the pulp but remove the seeds) and leave overnight with half the sugar. 

Day of cooking:

In the morning (or whenever), bring the mixture to the boil and add the rest of the sugar. Simmer and reduce until jam has reached its setting point. 

To test the jam has set, place a saucer in the freezer for about 10 minutes, then spoon a little of the jam onto the dish, let cool and tip it to the side. If it runs slowly down the plate (or not at all), it’s set! If not, keep simmering. 

Remove the jam from heat, let stand for about 10 minutes, then pour into sterilised jam jars.

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For those of you who are not in Australia, please find here a selection of Measurement & Temperature Conversion Charts which should help with the accuracy of your own cooking.