My aunt ant uncle have a two HUGE fig trees in their yard. Unfortunately my aunt suffer from diverticulitis and can't eat figs because of their hard small seeds. So my dad and I went over to pick them. It would be my job to process and can them. Once we started picking I knew that I was in for it! We ended up with at least 2 gallons of figs! Glorious wonderful figs! Oh woe is me..... figs have to be dealt with quickly. They are fragile little things. I followed my aunts instructions.
First my dad and I cut all of the figs in half, placing them in a large pot one layer at a time. Each layer was sprinkled with sugar, then the next layer added until you finish up with all of the figs. I took them home and let them sit over night. Then I had this:
The figs made thier own juice with the sugar. Can you tell how many figs we had? I couldn't count them.
Here they have been cooking for most of the day. I added a bit more sugar and a few dashes of lemon juice. I let them cook all day, stirring periodically.
Finally I put them in jars. It took forever! Looks like we'll be eating a lot of peanut butter and fig sandwiches this summer! Long ago I watched my mom and dad make preserves, Now i make my own. One of the things that they have passed down in the process is heat sealing. If your jam or vinegar for pickles is hot enough you turn your jars upside down for five minutes after screwing on the lids.
Here are my figs hanging around upside down. Yes, all of those are filled with figs! Then you turn them right side up. As it cools, it seals the jar. It makes a wonderful popping sound. 98% of the time this works. I still check my jars before storing them. My cabinets are full of figs!! It should be a tasty winter treat. I think that I will have to try my hand at fig newtons sometime too. I will keep you posted on that adventure! Stay tuned....
3 comments:
My mom would just die if I took her a handful of freshly picked figs! She's crazy about them and once picked figs right from the trees around Ft. Pulaski State Park on a visit to Savannah. She figured, "hey, nobody else but the birds are going to eat them!" Let me know if there is that much abundance next year - I'd love to surprise her.
Joy, that is just how my mom is. I totally understand. I also have a fig tree, but it hasn't been very productive for years. We are going to try to get it into shape this year.
That looks awesome. I have no idea how to make preserves, but I am making and freezing Tomato soup like crazy. How did yours turn out? Delicious I am sure.
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