Figs Two Ways: Part Two Peach Fig Jam

Although Figs do not grow locally in Massachusetts, I picked up some Black Mission figs at Idlywilde Farm here in Acton last week. Of course I couldn't just make one type of jam, so I have posted the two jam runs in separate posts. You can see the first recipe, Low-Sugar Ginger Fig Jam here. Just like my first recipe, I got some inspiration from The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich for this one, although I up'd the ratio of peaches and added some spices!

Ingredients:

• 6-8 chopped figs


• 5 peaches


• 3 cups sugar


• 1 tbsp. lemon juice


• 1/3 cup water


• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon


• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a pan over medium heat


2. Stir until the sugar dissolves


3. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir until the jam has thickened (it took me about 10 minutes)


4. Ladle the jam into sterilized jars, and process for 10 minutes.


5. Make 4 half-pints

Yummy goodness!

Figs Two Ways: Part One Low-Sugar Fig-Ginger Jam

Although Figs do not grow locally in Massachusetts, I couldn't walk away when I saw some Black Mission figs at Idlywilde Farm here in Acton. I looked in some of my canning books to try and find a recipe to use since Figs are low in both pectin and acid, and I wanted to be sure I was using a tested recipe.

I found the follow recipe in The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich. I love this book, and always find myself glancing through it for ideas.

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs chopped ripe figs (about 12 figs)


• 1 cup sugar


• 3 tbsp. lemon juice


• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (Yum!!)
  

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a pan over medium heat


2. Stir until the sugar dissolves


3. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir until the jam has thickened (it took me about 5 minutes)


4. Ladle the jam into sterilized jars, and process for 10 minutes.


5. Make 2 half-pints

And who doesn't want to slab that on some toast!!

Spiced Blueberry Jam

At the farmers market I am a part of here in Acton, we have a fabulous fruit vendor, Monadnock Berries. Without fail, every week I buy their blueberries. They are sweet, juicy, and most weeks don't even make it to be canned. Well this week I bought 2 quarts, and these lovely berries made their way into my Spiced Blueberry Jam, which is an altered version of Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard's found in The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of fresh, local blueberries


• 2 cups of granulated sugar


• 1/2 cup of local honey


• 1 tsp of ground nutmeg (grate fresh nutmeg if available!)


• 1 tsp of cinnamon


• 1 tbsp of lemon juice


• 1 cup of water


• 2 pouches of Ball No Sugar pectin

For this batch, I was lucky to have whole cinnamon that I picked up at a market in Nevis, where I just recently enjoyed my honeymoon! The smell when grated was heavenly!!

Directions:

1. Grate your nutmeg (and cinnamon if you have some!)


2. Place the cleaned blueberries, sugar, honey, lemon juice, water, nutmeg and cinnamon in a non-reactive saucepan


3. Bring the mixture to a full boil and boil for a couple minutes


4. Add the pectin and let it boil for another 3 minutes


5. Ladle into your hot, sterile jars


6. Process them for 10 minutes


7. Enjoy!

Peach Lavender Honey Jam

Well summer is officially here. The blueberries are out, the corn is being picked, and the peaches are finally starting to ripen. This weekend I grabbed my first stash of utility peaches from Carlson Orchards in Harvard, MA. I also noticed the lavender in my garden was in full bloom, so what to do besides make some Peach Lavender Honey Jam?!!?

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of local, fresh, sweet, juicy peaches (aka 1/2 peck or so, or 12 medium peaches)


• 1 cup of water


• 2 large handfuls, or 3/4 cup of fresh lavender (or less if you want less of a lavender taste)


• 3 Tbsp lemon juice


• Zest of one lemon


• 3/4 cup of local honey


• 1 pack of Ball No Sugar Pectin

Directions:

1. Boil some water, and blanch the peaches for a minute or so till the peel starts to come up at the X you cut into the peach.

2. Remove the peaches from the boiling water and let them cool!


3. While the peaches are cooling, boil a cup of water in a kettle. Take the lavender and put it in a cheese cloth bag (I use the same ones I use to make jellies). Put the lavender bag into a small bowl, and pour the cup of boiling water over the bag and allow it to steep for at least 15 minutes.




4. After the peaches have cooled, peel and chop them up
5. Combine the peaches, lavender water, lemon juice, and zest in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes. The peaches should break down, and the mixture should thicken.
6. Add the No Sugar Pectin, and return to a boil, stirring constantly
7. Add the honey, and allow the mixture to simmer for another 15 minutes
8. Ladle into sterile jars and process for 10 minutes
9. Enjoy!!