Fig figs figs!

Figs are my favorite fruit, partly because of their sweet mild flavor, but mostly because they are so pretty inside! I love to eat fig jam with goat cheese and crackers, so I thought I would try to make my own. Today was my last summer Friday at work, so I decided to take advantage of my afternoon and make another batch of jam. There were two steps I changed in the process today:

1. I bought a funnel, which REALLY helped to eliminate a mess when I poured the hot jam into the jars. (I fear I may have temporarily died my wooden countertops hot pink from a few strawberry incidents last night.)

2. I "processed", or boiled the jars for 10 minutes after closing the lids. Apparently this helps to extend the shelf life.

Ingredients:

5 cups figs (cut in half and stems removed)

1/2 cup water

1/4 c lemon juice

generous sprinkle cinnamon

1 1.75 ounce box pectin

7 cups sugar

I followed the same instructions that I outlined in my strawberry rhubarb jam recipe, adding the final processing step.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Last night I made jam for the first time. The recipe below yields 1 batch, which is six 8 ounce jars of jam. I had plenty of fruit so I ended up making 2 batches. It only took one frantic phone call to my Mom!

Ingredients:

2 cups smashed strawberries

2 cups finely chopped rhubarb

1/4 cup lemon juice

5 1/2 cups sugar

1 package pectin (1.75 ounces)

1. Sterilize the jars, lids, and rims by boiling them all in a large saucepan. Keep the heat on low as you make your jam. It helps if the jars are warm when you fill them with warm jam.

2. Chop and smash the fruit, then mix with lemon juice in a saucepan over high heat. Slowly mix in the pectin, stirring constantly. Once the fruit has come to a boil pour all of the sugar in, and bring it back to a boil for 1 minute. Dont stop stirring...

3. Remove jam from heat, and fill the jars leaving only 1/4 inch at the top. Take a warm wet towel and wipe off the rims of the jars. Place the lids on top, then screw on the lids. Turn the jars over and leave upside down for at least a half hour.

Here comes the fun part....

I bought a bunch of fabric scraps at my favorite fabric store, Purl. After cutting the fabric into 5x5 inch squares I topped the jars and tied them tightly with bakers string. Then I simply labeled the jars. Now I cant wait to enjoy it on my PB&J today!