Success

I’m claiming success for what you may ask……well, for my first attempt at making preserves.  Yes, this was my first time canning anything actually.  My grandmother did it, my mother did it…….I remember watching them as they put up jars and jars of delicious goodies.  As much as I love being able to go to the pantry and pull out a jar of freshly made goodness, I have never ventured down that path myself. 

One reason, I have always lived in an apartment or townhouse without a large area to grow a garden.  Even today, my yard is not situated to support a large enough garden to grow veggies or fruits.  As much as I would like too, too many trees, too little sun required to grow many things.  I am able to grow a small tomato plant, possibly some cucumbers in the side yard, but not much more.  Another reason, I always assumed you needed mass quantities of equipment to can anything…..but my visit to South Carolina earlier this month changed that way of thinking.

I’m not sure exactly how we got on the topic, but while visiting with the folks in Catawba, we got on the subject of figs.  Lola mentioned she loved fig preserves, I mentioned my mother had a fig tree.   The conversations about figs gave birth to an idea.  Lola told me all I needed was large pans, clean and santizied hot jars, figs, sugar and viola…….preserves.  No pressure cookers, no secret ingredients ~ simplicity.  Once I arrived home, I announced my intent to my mother.  We went to her fig tree, eyeballed her figs and the picking commenced…. 

Now I think ideally, you want the fig fairly brown, which equals very ripe.  However, for them to get to a fairly brown stage, they will have had to survive the deer and birds.   This little guy was looking for a treat…..and probably one of the reasons why there are no figs laying in the ground.

As you can see, the tree is quite large so I was able to collect a large bowl for my quest.

While they are not totally browned, they are soft and ripe.  The recipe is simple……….you wash, stem and place about 4 to 5 cups of figs in a large stainless steel pot or enamel pot.  Cover them with approximately 2 to 3 cups of sugar and allow to sit in a cool place for 24 hours.  They should form a syrup after they have sat.  You bring this mixture slowly to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 1 to 2 hours, until thick.  Do not simmer too long or the mixture will harden.  While the mixture is simmering, clean and sanitize your jars.  They must be hot and dry prior to adding your mixture to them.  My step mom keeps hers in the dishwasher……because I do not have one, I kept mine in the oven set at 200.  You must also keep the sealing disk of the canning lid hot, but do not boil them.  The rims may be left at room temperature for easier handling. 

After simmering your mixture, add to the jars…….be sure the top of the jar is clean or your jar will not seal.  Place your sealing disk on top, and seal tightly with the band.  Sit back and wait for the pop to let you know they have sealed.  That’s it!  Simple eh?

I gave it a test try today, and not bad….not bad at all.  I did skimp on the sugar a bit so they are not as sweet as they probably could be.  Next time I will use the entire suggested amount.  Creating something to can is a trial and error process.  This is just a basic recipe…..I’m sure if you wanted something a lot more detailed, you could do a Google search and get all kinds of results.  All in all, I was happy with this simple one my first try……I’m looking forward to trying more.