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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Fig Jam....



Does anyone out there know why my fig jam is such a cheery rose color?   I was under the impression that fig jam was going to be an earthy brown color.  The jam itself is delicious in a fruity sort of way, but lacks the color that I thought fig jam would be.  I'm thinking Fig Newton brown.   Anyway, I happily spread some on grilled Tuscan Bread with Gorgonzola Cheese and it was perfectly yummy!!
 
Here's the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens You Can Can canning cookbook.
  • 2 3/4 pounds of fresh Black Mission Figs.(30 to 35)
  • 3/4 cup bottled lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 1.75 pkg. powered fruit pectin
  • 7 cups sugar
  1. Rinse figs. Remove stems from figs, halve or quarter. Place 1/3 in food processor. Blend until almost smooth.  Transfer fruit to large bowl.  Repeat with remaining figs.  Measure 5 cups fig pulp.
  2. In an 8 qt. heavy pot stir together the fig pulp, lemon juice, water and pectin.  Heat over high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil.  Add sugar all at once.  Return to full rolling boil; boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; skim off foam with a metal spoon.
  3. Immediately ladle jam into hot sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4 inch head space.  Wipe jar rims; adjust lids.  Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes( start timing when water returns to a boil).  Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks.
 I only had 2 pounds of figs so I played with the amounts of lemon juice,  water, pectin and sugar.  It came out great.
Here is just two of the six jars I made of my funny color fig jam.   Pretty color though, don't you think?


    45 comments:

    1. That looks good! Such a bright colour! I've never tasted fig jam.My favourite is apricot.
      xxx

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    2. holy smokes !!!! when i saw this just pop up on my blogger reader i couldn't get over here fast enough !!!! LOVE THIS !!!!! i have been on a JAM KICK here too.... have you seen The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook...i got it with julie's recomendation...and i LOVE IT !!! susan..check out her website...The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook...there is even a jam club !!!!!

      love the pretty color too...

      happy to see this
      kary and teddy
      xx

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    3. That is such a pretty red color and I thought it would be brown like a fig newton too. I think it makes it look yummier being red instead of brown. Did you know chickens like things red the best too?
      I just though you might like to know. I bought
      Building Chicken coops for dummies on Sunday. I didn't know they had a book for that. :) It looks so easy I bet I could do it.

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    4. ..i just checked....it's blue chair fruit company...there is even a you tube of rachel.... the author....i am off to watch the you tube right now....

      kary
      xx

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    5. Your fig jam is wonderful...and I like fig jam with cheese, hugs, Flavia

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    6. I can't believe your jam came out that gorgeous color...the chemistry of food is so strange. This would be the star of a cheese plate dinner in our house.

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    7. Its a good thing, Susan.. just like looking at life through 'Rose colored glasses':D
      I love the photos you take, they manage to always make me hungry for whatever your a cookin.

      hugs,
      Pam

      note, my blog has moved to 'Whims n Whispers'. I hope you stop by when you have time and join in the fun.

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    8. Gorgeous! I've never tried fig jam but have a friend that loves it-enjoy:@)

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    9. susan... did you see on the sidebar of the you tube video is a 12 minute video of rachel making the tomato jam on martha. i wish i had your email... mine is : myfarmhousekitchen@yahoo.com

      kary
      xx

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    10. This jam is gorgeous! Just thinking about that toast and jam with Gorgonzola crumble is making me envious! Soooo delish!

      A couple maybes ...??? ... was the area below the skins of the figs rosey-colored? Perhaps those colors pop out in the jam to make it that pretty red? OR maybe the colors are naturally occurring and the lemon juice 'sealed' the color the way it keeps bananas or apples their natural color. OR ... perhaps this is doing what comes naturally and it will 'brown' as the jam continues to set up.

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    11. Can't help you with this Susan; first time I see fig jam. It actually looks like my raspberry jam; must be so good.
      Rita

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    12. It looks very pretty. I'm not a fan of figs but you make the presentation look tasty.

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    13. Your fig jam is so beautiful!
      I too am surprised that it comes out such a gorgeous hue.

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    14. I'm not a jam expert but would always think that fig jam would be deeper in colour than yours.

      One thing that I'm certain is that your jam is 100% home-made and free of any artificial colorings! Awesome!

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    15. i love this color and anything fig -- maybe the color will richen as it ages :)

      Blessings!
      Gail

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    16. Oh that all looks soo YUMMY! Great photos of it all to ! Have a wonderful eve.

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    17. What a great looking jam! I'll bet it is amazing with the cheese on the toasted bread! Could it possibly be the type of fig? Are there other types?

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    18. What a beautiful jam - and what a marvellous way to serve it!

      My daughter has just given me a fig tree, so hopefully in about three or four years time I will be trying this recipe.

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    19. What a lovely looking jam! I would never have thought fig jam would be that lovely colour either!
      thanks for sharing the recipe!
      Gill xx

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    20. For the first time I've got two fig tree's growning in my garden, here in Melbourne. I've never grown them before but fig jam......hmmm....now there's a thought.
      Your photo's make it so appealing and I've been wondering what to do with the figs, I'll hopefully get.
      I'll let you know if mine produce that pretty colour. Thanks for the recipe...I've never made jam before so I need all the help I can get ;D

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    21. No clue on the color but it sure is pretty! And delicious, I'm sure! Looks so good with the Gorgonzola.

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    22. Absolutley beautiful! the pictures are SO lovely and the recipe sounds divine - lovely post!
      Mary

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    23. LOVELY! My fig jam is always brown, and never that cheery rose colour! Lovely!
      Karen

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    24. such a gorgeous picture...i just want to dive right in! maybe it depends on the kind of fig? I've made a tart with italian figs that were very dark...either way figs are so tasty (especially with gorgonzola!)

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    25. The jam looks delicious with the Gorgonzola cheese! I have a jar waiting for me in my fridge can't wait to try it now... even if it is made up of crushed up ants LOL jk!

      love
      yourseconddaughter
      xoxoxo

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    26. It certainly is a beautiful color. My Mammaw always made fig preserves and boy were those good on a homemade biscuit. Hope your day is great. Tammy

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    27. happy autumn to you too susan

      sending love,
      kary and teddy
      xx

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    28. It is the color of your cheerful spirit, my friend! That jam just couldn't resist mirroring you. I mean that. :)

      I wish I knew why it wasn't brown, though. Personally, blech on brown and yay for cheery red! xoxo

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    29. oh so yummy... oh so deliciously colorful...
      -xok.

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    30. I love fig jam I have never tired it with the cheeese but it looks delish!
      I wish I were brave enough to can.
      Cathy

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    31. Well, it looks incredible. But most of all that picture of the gorgonzola on the jam on toast is purely heaven on a plate!!! You know there are many kinds of fig and perhaps the ones you used are the type that go red when cooked and not brown. Just a thought xx

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    32. I don't get it either...wouldn't have expected that color at all. It almost looks like raspberry, doesn't it? I'd love to make this...it's really a lovely jam! Absolutely perfect with gorgonzola!

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    33. OMG figs and gorgonzola...divine!
      I use to make a quiche with these ingredients...it's always a success!!
      Have a nice Sunday

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    34. Beautiful colour, delicious taste - a winner if you ask me!!!

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    35. How unexpected ! I do like the idea of fig jam though :-}

      Lorraine

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    36. I've seen the center of ripe figs come in many shades, from light pink to deep reddish brown, so my guess is that the figs you used were a nice bright red hue to make such pretty jam. It must taste so delicious!

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    37. It does look delicious. In the jar it looks like raspberry jam.

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    38. It's a very pretty color! I never had fig anything so I have no theories as to it's rosy color. But I think I would like to try it if it is
      paired with gorgonzola and bread.

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    39. everyone's making jam these days! yours look gorgeous, as opposed to my eh hem green-coloured jam. anyway it's nice that you paired it with cheese too, because I love contrasting sweet-salty flavours!

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    40. I love the shade of it! It's as gorgeous as any jam in a food magazine and I thin more appetizing than if it were brown.

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    41. I have no idea why it looks so rosy, mine is always brown, but it is lovely!

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    42. I found this blog by searching for answers on why my fig jam that I made today had such a pretty red hue and bright taste. It looks similar to the pictures you posted, but my batch from last year was a brown hue with a much milder flavor. Both years' batches were from my dad's tree, though! My wife wasn't a fan of last year's batch (although my daughter, father, and I were), but she loves this year's.

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