I'm pretty sure that's the recipe I used. I have no clue what transparent figs look like either, so I just cooked them until they seemed right. The preserves came out really good. Is that the recipe where the lemons are listed in the recipe as optional? I didn't have any fresh lemons, but added lemon juice. I know what you mean about looking for recipes that call for fresh figs. I keep finding cooking recipes that sound delicious, but then I realize they call for dried figs and I'm never sure how to adjust for the fresh figs.

Jill

Thanks, Jill!
The recipe starts with making a syrup with sugar and a lemon, sliced thin. After a 10-minute hard boil, the lemon slices are removed and the figs are "boiled until transparent" in the syrup, in 4 batches. I must have boiled the first batch for more than 30 minutes. The syrup was reduced to half! It seems like a sad thing to do to a fig. It's supposed to sit for 8 hours or overnight. Smells and tastes great, though!

joan

That's the one. Mine came out really good. I've been using the syrup in the jars as a honey substitute on bread. Mmmmmmmm.....

This recipe is in both the Blue Book and The Complete Book, with slight differences. I had lots of fresh figs that I wanted to hoard for a future baking project. (I saw a fabulous picture on Pinterest for Fig Newtons...). I followed the recipe in the Complete Book. I think the recipe should be re-named "Preserved Figs" not "Fig Preserves," but maybe that's just me. Oh, and my figs were all over the block size-wise--some really big ones, too.

What I actually did after boiling the first batch of figs for more than 30 minutes and being nowhere near transparency, I boiled the next three batches for about 15 minutes each. After refrigerating overnight, I strained off the syrup and brought it to a boil and further reduced it. Meanwhile, I snipped off the tough stem ends on each fig with kitchen shears and further snipped the figs into smaller chunks. Then I put the figs in the robot coupe and processed slightly. I put the figs (really now a lumpy puree) into the hot syrup and continued with the recipe.

As the Ball book says, this really would be delicious with a cheese course or with pork.

joan

I think the recipe should be re-named "Preserved Figs" not "Fig Preserves," but maybe that's just me.

I agree with you. When I first checked out the recipe when you posted this question it struck me "whole or halved canned figs", definitely not Fig Preserves. But then I'm not a big fan of figs in any form.

I also think "translucent" would be a better word than "transparent".

Dave

Traditionally one definition of a preserve is whole or large pieces of fruit cooked in sugar until translucent or glace and suspended in the syrup. While the syrup is thickened, the gel is weaker and the consistency is not that of a "set" jam.

Carol

I'm making the recipe now. I don't know what translucent figs look like

I feel like I just wasted fruit, time and sugar! I made this recipe and felt like it tasted "uninteresting".... more like red sugar with a slight taste. ( Maybe I just don't like Fig Jam ). The next experiment will be trying to dry figs.

Ugh, that stinks, Kate. I love fig preserves (and pear preserves and cherry preserves) better than jam, but they are definitely sweet.

Annie

Sorry .the fig jam didn't work out to your liking (wasn't your jam? :)

I made the fig preserves recipe in the Ball canning book. they turned out ok. the figs were chewy like soft taffy.

Booberry, I'm sorry, I don't understand "(...wasn't your jam?)"

Kate, I was trying to be a little funny....It didn't work.

That's OK. I have more trouble understanding statements since I had the strokes. Yes, this was greatly disappointing because I make Jams out of just about every fruit I get my hands on. And it's ususally pretty successful most times. This is the first in a good long while that it was a pure failure.

BTW: I did dry just a few ripe figs and that was a great success. (I imagine that I picked most of the ripe figs already.) Now I know that this works very good and they came out like a very good "candy". I used my Nesco air dryer for this one - (most things dry just sitting on the counter because of our dry climate.) But this one I didn't want to take a chance on losing this experiment too.

BTW BTW: I am amazed at the number of people in Fresno who don't know how to tell the really ripe figs from the "just about" . The ripe ones will "hang their heads down" - the figs droop at the stem. Just being "soft" isn't totally ripe yet.