Fig and apple jam with flavors of brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange.
Figs are such a sensuous fruit, I think. When I eat them, I feel like I should be reclining on a divan with long lustrous hair spilling down my back; and lots of young muscular men fanning me with large palm fronds. And I should be Egyptian.
OK, so none of that even remotely resembles my life. But I can still eat figs this time of year. And there is an abundance to choose from in the farmer’s markets now. There are literally hundreds of types of figs, but the three types I’ve been seeing the most lately have been Black Mission, by far the most heavily grown in California and in the United States in general; Brown Turkey which are brown with gold highlights; and Kadota, which are lime green with amber flesh.
It’s best to be a little picky when buying them. Figs are plump and soft when ripe, and bruise easily when packed and transported. Why not harvest them early, like so much of our produce is? They don't continue to ripen once they’ve been picked. So, as you can imagine, it’s not easy to get them to the markets undamaged. Look for figs that have a little give to them, but haven’t reached that squishy, soft stage. All figs are highly perishable, so use them within a few days of purchase. And if you’ve got the space in your refrigerator, try to store them flat and uncovered, so they’re not weighing down on each other as this causes bruising and hastens spoilage. A plate works well for this. And keeping them in the refrigerator is a must, but bring them back up to room temperature before eating them for the best flavor.
Figs make for a very healthy snack and can be prepared in so many ways - raw, grilled, roasted, dried, and sautéed all are good ways to work with these little plump guys. I posted a flatbread with grilled figs last week, but this week I’m featuring figs in a starring role for a jam I pair with Farmer’s Cheese on crackers almost every afternoon while they’re in season. I gotta say, drizzling some of this Fig Apple Jam on a couple of crackers shmeered with some soft cheese immediately transports me to Egypt, palm frond fans and all.
Through the week, I’ll be adding more information about figs under the 'Food Cultural History', 'Practical Matters' and 'Nutrition' tabs. And later this week I’ll post my favorite recipe for making Farmer’s Cheese at home. It’s a wonderful soft, mild cheese that’s great for pairing with fruits.
Cooking Notes:
- Making your own brown sugar is so easy, and produces a fresh, soft product that has a more molasses-y flavor. I always keep some in my pantry, and have added a link below in the recipe to how I make it and store it.
- When making the jam, the simmering time can vary according to how moist the figs are. Generally the jam should simmer until the fruit is very, very soft. The figs still retain their shape thanks to the skin, but some of the flesh has disintegrated into the syrup. If you want it more syrupy, don’t simmer it as long. And don’t forget that the syrup will change viscosity as it cools.
- If you realize you’ve simmered it too long and it’s not syrupy enough, just add a little water, reheat and stir to get the consistency you want.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Fig Apple Jam
Ingredients
- 13 ounces figs I used Brown Turkey, but Black Mission will work great too
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 ounces brown sugar or make your own
- 4 ounces agave nectar
- pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
- zest of 1 medium navel orange 1 teaspoon packed
Instructions
- Halve the figs, and quarter any that are really huge. Place in a pot.
- Core and peel the apple, and chop into ½” cubes. Place in the pot with the figs.
- Add everything else to the pot and heat over medium-low heat, stirring until the brown sugar liquefies.
- Simmer over low heat for 30 min, occasionally stirring with a metal spoon. Remove cinnamon stick and simmer for another 30 min. (You can leave the cinnamon stick in if you prefer more cinnamon flavor.)
- Pour into a jar and let it cool. When cool, store in the refrigerator.
Ashley Pierson (@AshleyAnPierson)
I am trying this right away!! Beautiful photos as well!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Ashley!!! Please let me know what you think!!!
lizthechef
I made Cathy Barrow's fig jam last year - trying yours this fall. I'm already cruising down the Nile, fan boys and all 😉 Your brown sugar recipe is brilliant -
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Liz!! Oh, I'll have to look up Cathy's jam! Is it on food52?
current vintage
Figs and apples are one of my favorite combos...I have a recipe for fig, apple and walnut chutney.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh, if only I could eat nuts! That sounds like a perfect combination. I like the addition of something crunchy, and the walnuts would be just the ticket!
Rosemary
My neighbor has a huge fig tree and doesn't like figs, so we are recipients! I wasn't happy with a jam a made a few years ago, so I'm looking forward to trying yours.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You are a very lucky woman. I would love to have a neighbor with a fig tree! If you try this, I'd love to hear your thoughts. My favorite way to have it is with the Farmer's Cheese, which balances out the sweetness of the jam, but I've used it in a number of other ways too.
Hannah
I do love figs and your combination with apples here looks so good! I'll be trying this soon. And I look forward to learning about farmer's cheese. I'd love to make cheese at home.
You have a lovely blog!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Hannah! I've enjoyed reading your blog too! And I've got the Farmer's Cheese post up now, if you want to take a look 🙂
Ms. T
I love your first paragraph--hilarious! So true, there is something sensual about figs. I blame the fig leaf on the statue of David 😉 In any case, your jam looks divine.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Tiffany! It was great to meet you earlier this week 🙂
Bevi
I have an old apple tree that produces firm and tasty fruit - much like a Granny Smith. This will be on my to-make list! I love your blog. It's easy to read and right to the point!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It sounds like your apples would go great in this jam! Thanks so much for your feedback on my blog - I'm really having so much fun with it!! I'd love to hear what you think when you make the jam. Thanks for stopping by!!
Silvia
Complimenti per il tuo blog, Susan! E' fatto molto bene e ha delle ricette favolose! Brava 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Mille grazie, Silvia! Sono molto contenta ti vedere qui!!
Osmosewasser
Hey! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group?
There's a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content.
Please let me know. Thank you
Courtney
I recently moved into a home with a beautiful fig tree that is producing more fruit than my husband and I can handle! So I am very excited to try some jam recipes in order to preserve all the excess. I'm pretty new to canning and noticed that your recipe doesn't "seal" the cans. I'm interested in preserving the jam for longer than the 90 day fridge limit and was wonder, can I do that by boiling the jam filled jars in water (to seal the lids), or will that spoil it? Thanks for your help!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You can definitely boil the jam-filled jars in water for sealing with this jam. No worries at all. Just use standard canning practices - Ball Jars has great tutorials on their site at http://www.freshpreserving.com - and you'll be fine. Good luck! I'm totally envious of your having a fig tree!!!
Laura
13oz of figs by weight or volume?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks for your question, Laura! It's 13 ounces by volume. In other words, I weighed them. Hope you like the jam!
Natasha
I have made this jam yesterday as I had some figs which were not particularly sweet, but which I wanted to use in one way or the other. It turned out to be wonderful! I didn't have agave syrup so I've substituted it for runny honey. I absolutely loved the orange flavour in this jam. It was so easy to make - definitely a keeper! Thank you!