Whether it's made with the black ones or the green ones, fig jam it is a delight to be enjoyed all winter. It is perfect for filling cakes or biscuits, to accompany a cheese plateau, to give an extra touch to your spoon desserts, or simply to give a twist to your breakfasts. It can be done with all types of figs: with the fioroni, which ripen in late June, or with the figs that are found from mid-July to the end of September.

Fig jam: sugar yes or no?

Figs have always been considered fruit rich in sugar: but is it true? In fact they are made up 80% from water is 12% from sugars. No problem for the figure, therefore, and when you decide to prepare a jam with figs, behave as if you made it with any other fruit. Consider a 40-60% sugar for one kg of figs, according to how much sweetness you want.

All combinations to enhance the flavor of figs

There are many ingredients that can be combined with fig jam, to enhance or balance its sweetness. All are combined at the end of cooking, before pouring the jam into the jars. Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, among the spices, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts and sultanas among dried fruit: these are the most suitable combinations to enrich the taste of fig jam. It is not necessary to toast walnuts and almonds, you can add them after having shelled them, directly into the pot with the cooked figs. If you want to give a touch of spicy freshness to your jam, grate a little ginger fresh: so it will be perfect to be enjoyed with well-aged cheeses.

Sterilization of the jars

It is always a very important moment: tasting handmade preserves must be a "safe" pleasure, without health risks. So, first take your jars and put them in a pot full of water. Check that they are completely submerged, bring to a boil and let them sterilize for 1 hour. Then remove them from the water and fill them with the freshly made jam, leaving 1 cm empty from the edge. Close each jar with a new cap.

The recipe for fig jam

Take 1 kg of figs, wash them, dry them with a cloth and cut them into wedges. You can peel them or leave them intact, as you prefer. Put them in a bowl, add the juice of one lemon and 400 g of brown sugar. Stir, cover with a cloth and leave rest for one night. After this time, put everything in a pot, cook for about an hour over low heat, skimming from time to time with a slotted spoon. When the mixture has reached the desired consistency, turn off, add the zest of a lemon, and pour into the jars that you have previously sterilized. Fill up to 1 cm from the edge, to prevent mold from forming, close and turn the jars upside down. Let it cool down and then check that the vacuum has formed. You shouldn't be hearing the classic at this point "Click-clack", otherwise, put the jars in a pot with plenty of water to cover them halfway, bring to a boil and cook for about an hour, then let it cool in the pot. Once cold, dry them and put them in the pantry. Let it rest for 1 month before consuming it.