Fig Frenzy

My friend Debbie and I are crazy for figs — we eat them whole, slice them with cheese or make various delicious meals with them. Since we each had three pounds of figs, this past Thursday we decided to make some jam together. Carving out some time got a bit challenging, but we settled on an hour together in my small kitchen, in between her work as a teacher and my writing and running the family.

Since time was limited, organization and preparedness would be the keys to our success. The jars were staying hot in my dishwasher when Debbie walked in with her figs and sugar. There wasn’t a whole lot of talking while we worked since we were so short on time. Except for a discussion on whether or not to use pectin with the lemon juice and zest, chit chat gave way to efficiency. Every inch of my countertops and stove were covered with bowls and pots as we worked together. Our speed demon pace, together with the boiling water for the jars and jam filling, heated my kitchen fast.

I ladled the last of my jars as the clock struck an hour and I had to run out. Unfortunately, Debbie ran out of jars and needed to carry her scalding jam home with her to finish up later.

Fig Jam
Makes 14 small jars

3 pounds figs, cleaned and stems removed
2 cups sugar
1 package liquid pectin
Zest from a lemon
Juice from a lemon

In a large bowl, cover the figs with boiling water. Let the bowl sit for about ten minutes until tender. Roughly chop the figs. In a medium pot, cook the figs and sugar over a medium heat, stirring frequently until the mixture begins to bubble. Cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring quite often. Add the lemon juice, pectin and zest and cook for a few more minutes. Ladle into the hot jars and screw on the lids (not too tight). Process the jars in a boiling pot of water for approximately 10 minutes and then place in a cool place overnight.