We are not experts but we don't use it in our Fig preserves!

Regards
Cecil

Never heard of using it in fig preserves.We only use figs & sugar(no lemon).

Thanks Cecil for your input.
Perhaps you can give us your good reason for avoiding baking soda in preserving fig.
Many thanks
Janoyan

That is kinda like telling someone the time, and then having to tell them how a Swiss watch is made :-)????????

Cecil

In past i have canned plum tomtoes and will try figs preserves in the coming years.
But i have not heard about useing baking soda in the making of it.
Now i have read about washing the figs in water and baking soda on this site but not in the making of them.

As for lemon juice i use a teaspoon in the canning of tomtaoes in each jar as it helps keep the color nice.Perhaps they do the same in this recipe?
Martin

Here is a link that might be useful: http://bayouwoman.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/just-plain-old-fashioned-fig-preserve-recipe/

Trust me on this one Martin,

You have ate fig preserves with lemon juice added, and just a little cinnamon.

Cecil

Yes i can understand the lemon juice. ; )
Not the baking soda that was the point i was tryin to make.
Gosh i just finished up last jar of fig preserves ; )
Next season i hope for better weather more new plants producing and to actually make some fig preserves .

To all puzzled by my reference to baking soda used in fig preservation.
The baking soda was not meant to be added to the cooking mix of the figs. It is meant to be used for soaking the figs in boiling water with a tea spoon of the baking soda for one hour. Then the fruit would be well rinsed and drained prior to the cooking in the cyrup etc. I have several recipe from the internet suggesting this. However no one has attempted to give a reason for its use, namely the baking soda.

And to Cecil I have this to say. Many years ago I had an uncle who could not dance. When pressed at a party for his refusal to participate, his remark was, I will never dance on a floor like this that is so uneven and rough.I am sure he knew how to tell time, even if he did not know how a Swiss watch was made.
Respecfully,
Janoyan

touché

Baking soda is an alkaline substance that helps in cleaning the surface (skins) of figs. It is much better to use a little baking soda than to use soap (also alkaline).

Dan

Like Dan said,
it is to wash them in baking soda, that link i posted is what the "bayou lady" did and actually showed in the pictures .
Best Health

I did a little web research lately on removing bitterness (no personal experience) in anticipation of trying to make marmalade out of the Hardy Orange (Poncirus trifoliata) which is extremely bitter and which was a dud last time (I was the only one who would eat it, and then sparingly). Baking soda was used to remove bitterness. And I believe for that purpose in some fig recipes. Comments were made that baking soda is a base (alkaline) and so would balance sourness but why it counteracted bitterness remained a mystery as far as the discussions went.
My guess is that it is used to counter the bitterness of latex in underripe figs. But that is only a guess.

The bitterness of an orange comes from the pith and not from the skin. The better citrus zesters (julienne peelers)will not remove much pith and will be much less bitter.

Baking soda in the fig preserve recipe is primarily used only for cleaning the figs......not to neutralize any bitterness. Clean figs produce a much prettier product.....that is why it is used. Any subsequent benefit from any latex interaction is a bonus.

I would be careful with mixing baking soda with any cut up or prepared fruit. If it is not completely washed out, it may raise the pH of the final product outside of the safe pH range for water bath processed canned foods.

Dan

Dan,
Eliminating the pith by use of a citrus zester works for sour oranges and sweet oranges but these are bitter oranges about 1-1 1/2" in diameter. It wouldn't be practical. I am following a recipe for bitter oranges that I found in a book, "Rosemary and Bitter Oranges:Growing Up in a Tuscan Kitchen" by Patrizia Chen. I have a bitter orange tree full of fruit planted outside. It's about 8' tall. I am trying the baking soda because, like Martin, I am curious. I will follow your suggestion and only use it in the first batch of water so that the marmalade stays acid enough to keep well.
Cath

Dan:
In your message of yesterday the 27th your advice about baking soda is to "coimpletely washed out, It may raise the Ph etc." I wonder how washing can completely remove the soda when it has been immersed in that liquid for about and hour. Are you also worried that higher Ph level may result in spoiled canned fruit ? I appreciate your response in due time. Janoyan

I see no problem with using baking soda in the wash water for cleaning "unpeeled" figs as in the fig preserve recipe. I've seen other recipes that use only hot water to help clean unpeeled figs.

There may be a problem using baking soda to neutralize acids on "cut-up" fruit products without benefit of testing the final product for pH. Putting the mixture in a collander and rinsing with lots of water should remove any excess baking soda since any excess would be very soluble in water.

My concern with applying baking soda to cut up fruit is with processed food safety. pH is more of an issue when processing the final product in a boiling water bath than it is in a pressure canner.

Dan

Hi all
I am interested in this discussion because I will probablyy have more unripe figs than most. Someone asked me for all my un-ripe figs but now I may keep halh of these and try some cooking myself i.e.pushing some sweetness into the un-ripe figs. I think Bass/Bonsaist (if I recall correctly) mentioned a recipe worth trying in another post (boiling in syrup and then low heat).
I know it is about baking sode so I will try just a bit in syrup hoping it may work to make the un-ripe fig fluffy a bit like the way it is used in minute quuantities in making bread (instead of yeast). If I report it here later you will know I liked it. I like things cooked by novice (at least once) because that taste different.

Ottawan,

You would be surprised how much flavor the cooking process will bring out of unripe figs. You just need to cook them in the syrup until they become transparent (no need for baking soda)....see recipes below.

The ladies in my area make a preserve with watermelon rind that is wonderful. My deceased grandmother made a preserve with the rind of French (AKA Musk) melons (like a very large cantaloupe) that was absolutely fantastic. Cooking the rind brings out a lot of flavor that you wouldn't think was there.

Some people in my area grow Magnolia (AKA Brunswick) figs and pick them just before they ripen especially to make an excellent tasting preserve.

Dan

Here is a link that might be useful: Fig Preserves

Thanks Dan, nice to hear from you.
I will try the recipe.
I have Brunswick too with many unripe figs.

Dan,
muskmelon !
Now i have not heard that word mention in a while,i have gown those here with much success in the past. Last several years i been more into the fig trees and actually downsized veggie garden.Too me the muskmelon tasted better than cantaloupe, but my favorite is honeydew just cant grow it here for season is too short.

Martin,
I read long ago of people who lived in Canada on an island in the Atlantic, one of the areas with a French heritage -
maybe Miquelon (wish I could be more specific) - who raised melons by planting the seed indoors in a sod that was turned upside down. Apparently melons are notoriously difficult to transplant and the sod holds together well enough so that the roots are not disturbed and so can be transplanted. So even though they had a short season, they could grow melons.
Cath

Baking soda definitely decreased the bitterness in the Bitter Orange Marmalade. I used 2T of baking soda, 5 pounds of fruit and 4 cups of sugar. Boil whole fruit and baking soda 1 1/2 hours. Drain. Cover with cold water. Repeat draining and cold water twice a day for 2 days. Drain. Halve fruit and scrape insides of rind. Discard pulp. Combine rinds and equal volume of sugar. Cook 35-40 minutes. It may seem very liquid but firms up later. It has an unusual tongue tingling taste.

We've eaten all the fresh figs so haven't had any to experiment with cooking with baking soda.

From my great-grandmother....the baking soda helps keep the skin from separating from the fig.

Wow i recall this thread from 7 years back amazing how time fly's by.

Dieseler,

Time flys much faster in summer though.

Thanks for the baking soda tip.

Are you sure you need to add all that white sugar to figs? Around here figs are very sweet on their own.

Sorry but yes :(

Soda is used to soften and loosen the skin of fresh figs. The baking soda is not an ingredientn in the recipe. It is placed in boiling water and used to soak figs for a time. Figs are then completely rinsed off so no baking soda remains when the preserving starts.