Kadota Fig & Candied Ginger Jam

Ingredients:
3 lbs Kadota figs, stems removed and finely chopped (about 4 cups)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup bottled lemon juice
1/4 cup diced crystallized candied ginger
3 ounces liquid pectin (one pouch)

Directions:
Prep the jars/lids. Place the figs, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pectin and candied ginger. Boil 5 minutes. Fill and seal the jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Yield: about 5 8-oz jars


Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can.


*I used bottled lemon juice instead of fresh because figs are a low acid fruit and I wanted to make sure that the acid content was high enough to safely use the hot water method. The acidity of fresh lemons can vary but the acidity of bottled lemon juice is constant.

My thoughts:

Kadota figs have light green skins and pretty pink centers. Like most figs they are pretty sweet but I think they have a more floral, almost honey-like flavor than other varieties I've tried. I had some really good candied ginger and thought it would work well with this particular fig. Of course, I am a big ginger fan anyway but it kept the jam from being crazy sweet while at the same time keeping the floral note. I also liked how the ginger and fig ended up with similar textures which made for great spreadablity. I look forward to using this jam in other recipes. I think it would make an awesome filling for cookies.

Sweet Cherry Lime (Freezer) Jam

Ingredients:
4 cups halved cherries
zest and juice from 2 limes
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 packet (45 grams) no cook freezer jam pectin

Directions:
Whisk together the sugar and pectin in a small bowl. In another bowl, mash the cherries with a potato masher. When well mashed, add the lime juice and zest. Stir. Sprinkle with the sugar/pectin mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into 4-5 8 oz jars. Ball makes some great plastic freezer jam jars I highly recommend. They have a fill line about 3/4 inch down. Don't over fill. Use the jam within a month or freeze up to 1 year.

My thoughts:

It has been a long time since I last made freezer jam. Too long. I like it because it is near instant gratification. No cooking, just mashing and then you have jam. Plus it uses a lot less sugar than traditionally canned jam because you don't need the sugar to act as a preservative. It is just the beginning of cherry season here and I've been trying to make the most of it. Every year I wish I had a cherry pitter. Once the season rolls around it is too late to order one and have it arrive in time and when cherries aren't in season, I think of other ways to spend my money. I've found that simply pulling the cherries in half with my hands is the more efficient (if slightly messy) route to pit-free cherries. For some reason I had been cutting them with a knife and it took forever. I've heard about methods involving a paper clip or toothpick but pulling them apart has been resulting in two perfect halves so I am loath to try something new. And it makes me feel super strong.

Anyway! We were talking about how we don't have a Sonic (even though we get the commercials occasionally) anywhere with in several hours. I've never been to one but I have heard so many people going on about the cherry limeade, I feel like I have. So when I decided to make cherry jam, I thought to throw in some lime. I am glad I did. It is a delightful combination as it keeps the sweet cherries from being too sweet. Plus I think the natural pectin in the limes help it gel.

Kiwi (Freezer) Jam

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 lb kiwi, peeled
45g packet of freezer jam pectin*

Directions:
In a medium bowl, use a potato masher (or a spoon) to mash the kiwifruit. Add the sugar and pectin. Stir (or whisk if it is liquid enough) for 3 minutes. Pour into 4-5 clean 8 oz jars, leave 1/2 inch of space at the top. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes then serve, refrigerate (up to 3 weeks), or freeze (up to one year).



*You cannot substitute regular pectin for this. Look for freezer jam pectin in the canning or baking isle at your local store. May only be available during the canning season, ask for it.

My thoughts:

If you've been reading this for a while, you know I am a little leery about canning. I made some lovely refrigerator pickles last August (a jar of which is still crisp and edible in my fridge by the way!) that didn't require any scary canning methods. I've been dying to make jam but was still a little scared about attempting traditional canning. What if I made a mistake and ruined the jam or worse-what if I made a 12 jars and didn't like it? So you can imagine my excitement when I was offered a set of Ball freezer jam jars and pectin. I loved it! In less than 15 minutes we made yummy kiwi jam. We had so many kiwi in the fridge that I wanted to use them up before they went bad. I couldn't find directions for a kiwi freezer jam so I just used all the kiwi we had, guessed how much sugar, used a whole packet of the pectin and it came out wonderfully. I am now a freezer jam devotee. Freezer jam is great because it uses about a 1/3 of the sugar as "regular" homemade jam or jelly. Traditional jam recipes often call for more cups of sugar than fruit! I also love that you don't have to cook it (or freeze it for that matter, despite the name), and you can eat it within 30 minutes of canning. Ball makes a set of reusable plastic freezer jam jars (perfect if you are actually going to freeze the jam-safer than glass if the jam expands more than you expect) that comes with directions and a sample of the pectin. And to head off some future emails: freezer jam pectin is vegan, as is regular fruit pectin.