Green Fig preserve

This is my first every try at making green fig preserve.
This here is my resident fig tree. (A baby tree still.



My little fig tree ( photo / image / picture from Palm Tree's Garden )


and then I cleaned, washed and scraped the figs in preparation for soaking them in a Lime solution.





Cleaned and scraped figs ( photo / image / picture from Palm Tree's Garden )




FOr my very first harvest I am happy with the amount of figs. It should be just enough for one jar of preserve.
I will post the piccies as I progress.

Incidently I am using the following recipe:
Lime solution.
2,5 litres of water, 10 ml slaked lime and 2,5 ml Bicarbonate of soda.

1 kg green figs
1 kg sugar
1,5 litres of water
5 ml lemon juice
5 ml ground ginger.

First wash, clean, scape and prepare the green figs.
THen cut a cross in the stem end of each fig.
THen soak the figs in the lime solution
Leave overnight.
(this is where I got stuck and had to leave my figs to overnight over two nights due to the power failure.)

THen I must rinse well and drain. THis is todays job)
Bring about 2 litlres of water to the boil add figs and boil till tender. (approx. 20 minutes)
Drain.
Bring sugar, lemon juice ginger and water to the boil.
Add figs one by one and boil figs rapidly until figs are tender yet crisp and syrup is thick. (approx 45 minutes to an hour.)
Sterilize jars.
bottle figs in sterilized jars pouring sytup over to cover.
Seal.

For glazed figs - Boil figs 30 minutes longer
Remove figs from syrup and drain on wire rack to crystalize
This takes about 6 hours.
Then pack in airtight containers.

 

Oh, Palmpje--that looks quite nice. I wonder what it will taste like. I'm sitting on the edge of my chair waiting to see more piccies of the continuing process.
I like this kind of stuff.

Good luck and do follow this nice posting up, won't you.

 

I hope the result will be mouthwatering too.

To the progress report:
I am boiling them right now:




Figs after soaking in Lime solution ( photo / image / picture from Palm Tree's Garden )



I rinsed these and strained, drained them and into the pot to boil.



Lime soaked figs rinsed and drained. ( photo / image / picture from Palm Tree's Garden )

Right now they are boiling




Figs boiling in clean water. ( photo / image / picture from Palm Tree's Garden )

 

Ok then
The figs have been shifted to boiling syrup. Now it is the long wait.


Figs boiling in water, lemon juice, ginger and sugar. ( photo / image / picture from Palm Tree's Garden )



Boy, Ay yay yay - an hour is long.

 

Oooh! *drools* You'd better be thankful I wasn't there. Not a single fig would have survived to be turned into preserve.

 

Droopy these green figs are lovely to eat - LoL - I would not blame anyone from just gobbling them up.
In fact I should stop myself from tasting.


Finally the wait is over and I can take them off the heat.
See:



It is ready ( photo / image / picture from Palm Tree's Garden )

I already sterilized the jars
My efforts yield exactly one jar of green fig preserve. (Not bad for my first crop - even if I must say so myself.





Figs covered with oh so sweet syrup. ( photo / image / picture from Palm Tree's Garden )



Next time I entertain I will put it on a cheese platter. (that is if it is not all up by then)

 

That was good to see Palmtree--all the stages of the making and the finished product. You must be feeling pretty proud of yourself about now.
Was the fig tree already on the property when you bought it, or did you plant this tree yourself?

 

Mm, yum that looks good, very good. Nice demo too! I sure would love to have a taste! I'll be the ginger flavor with the figs is delish. I have brown figs -- Mission figs, maybe. They're good too.

 

Why thanks Daisybeans - I also love ginger - the flavor is just gorgeous Meaning you are gorgeous too.
Sometimes I eat ginger raw as a snack.
THen I wrap it in baby spinach leaves and eat it with a dipping sauce. THe sauce is usually a sweet chilli sauce.

Oh yes Sjoerd.
It is a good feeling - my first try and it was successful.
I planted this fig tree about three years ago and last season it only had three figs - someone actuaaly told me that I can expect 4 figs this year, but I was pleasantly surprised.
What is more is that I can already see more figs forming on the tree.
Man I will be eating figs throughout our summer. :-D

 

Heh heh heh....you're a lucky girl! That tree must be very happy where it is.
I hope that you are pleased with the taste of the preserves.

 

Palms -- LOL, It would be fun to BE ginger for a day, but of course, that was a type-o and I meant I'll BET it was deelish! You have a good sense of humor. I'm so excited for you with your figs! They are fun trees to have. I'm especially fond of mine. I have a pic of them I think.... let me see if I can find it... Here it is -- look what you have to look forward to!

( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden )






fig trees ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden )

 

Thanks everyone - It is my pleasure.

THis might sound nasty - but for now I will try to keep the birds away from my fig tree. (selfish me for this season)
Only joking, I think there will be enough on the tree this season, judging by the amount of new figs forming on the tree.

Oh Toni - I used the green figs (they were not ripe yet) - My granny used to say that you make preserve with the first crop of green figs on your tree before they ripen. I listened to granny.
But you can make this preserve with ripe figs too.

Daisybeans - I love your yard. Nice fig trees - lovely shade they cast in summer.

 

OK, I am curious. I do the same thing with ripe figs except not so many steps. Sugar, water, and can them in a syrup. What do green figs taste like that are different from ripe ones? Do they have an entirely different flavor ?

 

Palms -- when they ripen, do they turn brown?