Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my links.
Spring is here. And that means all sorts of good things from the garden, and the market. Fresh veggies. Artichokes (some of my favorite things) Fresh Fruits straight from the tree. Figs! I love figs, fresh, dried (I used them in cookies and cakes) and fig preserves. This Southern Fig Preserves recipe has been in my recipe box for forever, and though I can’t remember where it came from exactly, I remember the first taste of these like it was yesterday. I’m sure you’ll love these as much as I do!
Southern Fig Preserves
Description
Simple and Delicious
Ingredients
- 8 cups small (firm but ripe figs)
- 2 cups unrefined sugar
- 1– inch knob of fresh ginger (peeled and diced)
- 1 small lemon (thinly sliced)
- juice of 1 additional lemon
- 1 cup of water
Instructions
- In a wide, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive pot, layer the figs with the lemon slices, sugar, sliced ginger, and lemon juice.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- The next day, add the cup of water and cover the pot with a lid .
- Bring the fig mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Turn the figs down to low and slow cook covered for 1 hour. (watch carefully)
- After the figs have cooked covered for 1 hour, vent the lid and cook for another 1/2 hour with the lid vented. ( or until the figs are translucent and the syrup has thickened.)
- Transfer the fig mixture(with the lemon and ginger) to sterilized jars and refrigerate
- or process for 5 minutes in a water-bath canner to store on the shelf.
Notes
This makes 4 to 6 pint jars. Leave the lemon and ginger in the mixture when you load up your jars. They will add flavor as time goes and have a wonderful ‘candied’ flavor.
Serve with warm biscuits and butter.
I have the most prolific fig tree ever!!! I make fig jam every year, I freeze them, dry them, bake with them….the list is endless.
I finally give up towards the end of the season as I just don’t have anywhere else to go with them. Freezer is full….
New and fresh ideas would be great!
Chris
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. I picked figs today and thought a little ginger might be good in fig preserves, but I was afraid to mess the preserves up because I’d never heard of adding ginger. I just came across your recipe which has, yes, ginger. Yea! Thanks again; I’m going to give it a try.
Have never canned anything in my life but a good friend gave us a bunch of fresh figs and I decided to give this a try. Love this recipe. Cut the sugar in half, doubled the ginger and was a bit more generous on the lemon. Just finished the whole process and am loving the flavor of what I put together here. Can’t wait to share with friends and to enjoy all year long.
★★★★★
I do hope you’ll come back by and let me know how much you love it!
WOW GREAT- made this about 3 weeks ago, opened it today. Wonderful flavors, hint of ginger some lemon and the wonderfulness of the figs. We all love it!
★★★★★
so glad!
I loved the results from this recipe so much that I just HAD to leave a comment. :) I think our fig tree is nearing the end of its harvest and I was getting a bit tired of picking so many figs. However, this recipe made 7 half pints and I feel like that might not be enough to last me through the year – I think I will have to go scouring our fig tree again!! Thanks so much for the fabulous recipe!
Oh, I also forgot to write – I think my syrup thickened but it did seem to make more than the called for quantity (even after cooking vented for 45 minutes). I did the cold-plate test and it never really set to the soft wrinkle stage. Should I have cooked it longer? Thanks for the help!
How long will the preserves last in the refrigerator?
once opened you should use them within 7 days.
I can’t wait to try this out as a “sauce” for fruit pizza, stirred into yogurt, as a spread in between cake layers …
Do you peel the figs? And lemon peels stay in as well?
no peeling. And yes the lemon peel stays in.