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Figs are one of my all-time favorite fruits! But unfortunately, living in New England where figs are not locally grown, it is often hard to find fresh figs. And when we do find them, they are either very expensive or – being a highly perishable fruit – not of the greatest quality.
So I was extremely excited to walk into my local market last week – where I spotted a large display of fresh figs on sale for a great price. (If you see them too…buy some!) I grabbed a few pints and immediately started plotting to make this Small Batch Fig Jam recipe.
This Small Batch Fig Jam recipe makes a 1-cup jar of jam – perfect for a special treat. The jam is sweet but not too sweet, and the addition of lemon and thyme complements the flavors of the fig in a very delicious way!
This gorgeous fig jam is absolutely fantastic served on crostini with a sprinkle of bleu cheese (see note in our recipe below), spread on buttered toast or a bagel, spooned into some hot oatmeal, or used to make our Prosciutto and Fig Pizza with Arugula or these Prosciutto Rolls.
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Small Batch Fig Jam
Adapted from Cooking Light via MyRecipes.com
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 pound ripe fresh Black Mission Figs, stemmed and quartered
Instructions
- For a very thick jam (as shown) simmer for the full 50 minutes. For a looser jam, simmer only for 40 minutes.
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove strips of rind from lemon, being careful not to include the white pith as you peel the strips.
- Place lemon rind strips and all other ingredients into a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir to combine.
- Bring contents in the saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 40-50 minutes (*see note above) or until mixture thickens, continuing to stir frequently so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Discard thyme stems and lemon peel. Pulse jam with an immersion blender to chop up the fig skins if desired.
- Pour into an 8-ounce jelly jar. Keep refrigerated for up to one month.
- This jam may also be canned in sterilized jars using the water bath method.
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Notes
To make the crostini we show in our photos above, simply slice a baguette into diagonal slices. Toast until golden brown, then (optional) rub each slice with a clove of garlic that has been cut in half. Spread our Small Batch Fig Jam onto each slice, then top with crumbled bleu cheese.
Prosciutto and Fig Pizza with Arugula
Grape Nuts Pudding with Fig Sauce
Epic fail. Crystalized and took me a very long time to clean pan and blender
Sorry to hear Karen – Assuming you followed the recipe/quantities exactly, I’m guessing you might have overcooked the jam.
Loved this recipe! I have a small fig tree and can only get about a pound a week so this has been perfect and the taste is excellent. I could not recommend this more.
Thank you so much Ashley! (How lucky you are to have a fig tree!)
Love this recipe!!! I stumbled on it a few years ago and keep coming back. I can it for longevity. It is sensational paired with your favorite blue cheese on crostini. It made such a hit in its first debut that I have even given it as Christmas gifts. Here in northwest Indiana, it is the best way to rehome the fresh figs when there are too many to eat!! Thank you –
You’re very welcome Jennifer – so glad the jam was hit!
Excellent recipe, very tasty easy to make
Thanks Sally!
I made this before and loved it. My question is, someone gave me green figs. Do you think they will work the same way. Certainly won’t look the same.
Hi Kay – We haven’t tried making this jam with green figs ourselves. After a quick google search, sounds like green figs are less sweet and have more pulp so you might need to make some adjustments (more sugar, longer simmer to reduce, etc). If you try it, please let us know how this recipe works out!
Thank you very much for your quick response. I think I will try it today if I have the chance. I’ll let you know how it comes out.
I’ve made it with green (Kadota and Peter’s Honey). Usually, I have a mix of these and Mission figs. The green figs are not as sweet but they work just fine.
Thanks Jennifer!