Can you freeze figs for jam

Remove individually frozen figs and pack tightly in freezer bags or containers. Avoid air pockets between figs, if possible. Crumple waxed paper and place in headspace, or cover surface snugly with plastic film. Seal airtight and store in freezer at zero F. Cool and freeze. Sort figs, using ripe figs but not cracked ones. Wash and peel with a sharp knife, wearing rubber gloves. Make heavy syrup of sugar and water in a large kettle.

Stir and heat slowly until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat and bring to a boil 3 or 4 minutes. Add sliced lemon and peeled figs. Do not stir; lift gently from bottom or shake pot. Wipe sealing edge clean and seal. Process in boiling water canner for 5 minutes. If figs are not peeled, wash, drain and cook the same way.

For a brighter color, clean figs by bringing to a boil in hot water. Let stand 3 minutes; drain, then add to boiling syrup. Using frozen figs: Place frozen figs in large kettle, add sugar and water and heat slowly until figs thaw. Add sliced lemon if desired, bring to a boil and cook as above.

Pour 3 quarts boiling water over figs. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain and discard liquid. Rinse figs in cold water and drain. Boil rapidly 10 minutes. Because of their high sugar content, figs ripen and can spoil rather quickly. Or perhaps you have a very productive fig tree in your front yard,.

How do you store these delicious fruits so you can enjoy them long after the growing season? While figs are most versatile fresh, they can be frozen for long term storage. Freezing figs is actually quite simple. There are, too, some tips for those looking for a slightly more advanced project.

Keep in mind that frozen figs cannot be used in the same dishes as fresh ones, as the texture will change. During freezing, water in the fruit expands and forms ice crystals, which breaks down the cell walls of the fruit.

This leads to soggy fruit once thawed. For the most part, thawed figs cannot be utilized in the same dishes as fresh figs, due to their texture. Previously frozen figs do not make a very good salad topper!

The act of freezing and thawing breaks down both the figs and the skin. I simply trim the stems. First, trim and chop the figs. You can also pulse the figs in a blender to further break down the fruit. Place the fruit in a large saucepan. Let the fruit and sugar sit for 2 hours to allow the sugar to draw out the natural juice in the figs. Figs do not naturally contain a lot of acid, which is needed to prevent the formation of bacteria during the canning process.

We have to add some in the form of lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice has a consistent acid level and is what I recommend. Bring everything to a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil for minutes until the mixture has thickened to a spreadable consistency. All my other jam and jelly recipes call for pectin. Pectin is a naturally occurring soluble fiber that also works as a thickener. Some fruits, such as apples, contain a lot of pectin naturally.

The reason is, as the figs cook down the natural sugars in the figs combine with the added granulated sugar and form a syrup. The preserves will continue to thicken as they cool. But if you are impatient like me, you can use something called the spoon test. Place a clean metal spoon in the freezer I like to stick mine down in the ice bin before you get started. When the preserves come off the burner, remove the spoon from the freezer and dribble a few drops onto the cold spoon.

This will give you a pretty good idea of how well your preserves will thicken. Add it a teaspoon at a time, letting the preserves boil for a few minutes between each addition, before adding another teaspoon. Cooled fig preserves need to be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consumed within a month.

You can also can the preserves using the water bath canning method. To learn more about water bath canning, check out my tutorial on water bath canning here. Of course, my favorite use for fig preserves is on a meat and cheese tray.