How to preserve your own green figs

 

My grandmother, Katie Jonker, used to say:  “If you have not yet picked your green figs by the 5th of October, it is too late…”  Well these days, with the weather patterns changing, we are still picking and preserving and it is already the 21st of October.  How the world changes, but one thing that stays the same is our love for good “old fashioned” food and treats.

Even though preserving green figs is quite a job, it is fun to make and the result is just so rewarding, so we decided to share our recipe with you.

Preparing the green figs:

  1. Soak the figs in water overnight with a handful of baking soda dissolved in the water.
  2. Wash the figs and scrape the stalks clean. Carve a small X into the base of the fig
  3. Bring a big pot of water to the boil (enough to cover the figs), and cook the figs for 10 minutes until slightly tender.
  4. Remove the figs from the water and squeeze each one gently to get the remaining water out.  Many people tend to skip this step, but this is an important part of the process otherwise the preserve could go off quickly.

Preparing the syrup

  1. Combine 21 cups of water with 5kg sugar, and add a big piece (or two) of dried or fresh ginger to the mix. It is very important to stir the water and sugar mixture when bringing it slowly to boil, because all the sugar must be dissolved before it starts to boil. This is to prevent your preserve from making sugar crystals.

Cooking the green figs

  • Place the figs one at a time in the boiling syrup, ensuring that the syrup does not stop boiling.
  • Boil, uncovered for 50 minutes. Add half a cup of lemon juice and boil for another 10 minutes.

Bottling the green figs

  1. Spoon the boiling hot figs and syrup into hot, dry, sterilised bottles and seal immediately. Pay special attention to fill it to the brim with syrup.
  2. When closing the jars, make sure you close them as tight as possible, then place them upside down until cooled down.
  3. Wipe the jars clean, and display on your kitchen shelf until you’re ready to serve it with some delicious artisan cheese and freshly baked bread.

ENJOY!!!