Fig Preserves Finally Finished for the Fall Season!

I finally finished making my yearly fig preserves and gifts too! These make great host/hostess gifts which is more personable and everyone loves. Since fresh figs only last a couple of days and I had my share of eating them and giving some away, I also froze them on a daily basis. When the figs stopped producing, I had a nice supply in my freezer waiting for me to get cooking. It is a simple recipe that I use, just plan on spending most of your day cooking!

Make sure you cut the stems off and wash the figs before you freeze them. For every 4 cups of figs, I added 1 cup of sugar. You can add more sugar if you like or use less. I think mine are plenty sweet and I have seen recipes that add a lot more sugar. No need to add any water, but I added maybe a half a cup since they were frozen and I didn't want to scorch them. Just add the sugar to the figs and simmer on the lowest for hours! It seemed like it took much longer this time since I did not thaw the figs. (I suggest that you thaw out a little before cooking). It took about 8 hours to cook, but it was worth it. You can turn it up a little higher towards the end of the cooking time to take out more of the liquid and let it thicken more. Make sure you sterilize your jars, lids and rings and then you can add your preserves but not quite to the top. Close tightly and listen to the lids pop!(This means they are sealed and ready for the shelf). If you have any that did not pop, (you can be able to tell the difference because when you punch in the lid, it will make a little noise) place those in the refrigerator and use soon. SO FAR I HAVE NEVER HAD TO DO THIS! I have a fig bar recipe that I love to make and will share with you sometime. Fig preserves are also great on toast and rolled up in a flour tortilla with butter and chopped pecans....Yummy! Another favorite, fig preserves on top of a round brie cheese with dough wrapped over it and baked. Enjoy!