Easy Fig Jam - No Pectin, No Canning

This easy fig jam recipe does not have pectin and does not need to be canned. Additionally, this homemade fig jam recipe tastes amazing on top of being uber simple and versatile.

Serve this beautiful fig jam recipe on a piece of buttery toast or a biscuit with peanut butter, with prosciutto, ham, Swiss cheese, gruyere, Brie, cream cheese, or Parmesan cheese.

What Part of A Fig Is Edible?

All fresh figs have a sticky milky white sap. It's edible and nothing to worry about.

The stem end of younger figs are tender and can be eaten, but as the figs age or dry out the stems become tougher and inedible.

Fig Jam - No Canning Required

Hey - look, can this fig jam recipe if you like. I have a fig tree and am trying to make life easy and fast and don't generally can food because we eat everything too fast.

I'm gonna let the sugar, the lemon juice, and the refrigerator do the heavy lifting and not can my fig jam.

I'm also making little jars to give away to neighbors and friends, so am not worrying about eating it next year. There will be more figs next year 🙂

How long does homemade jam that hasn't been canned last in the fridge? Ask yourself, how long a jar of jelly from the store that has been opened lasts in the fridge. A long time, right? 3 months minimally at my house. That's how long this jam lasts too if you don't contaminate it with other ingredients.

But hey - use your nose, your eyes, and your tastebuds. Trust that your senses know when something fresh tastes bad, and don't eat it if your spidy senses go off.

Fig Jam - No Pectin Needed

Figs are naturally low in pectin, but sugar helps thicken the jam as the water boils off during cooking. Pectin is used to speed up the gelatinization (is that a word?) of the jam.

Pectin is a thickener and lowers the cooking time of jams and jellies.

This fig jam recipe without pectin uses fresh lemon juice and also lemon zest which is high in pectin and aids in thickening the jam, as well as flavoring it. Lemon juice is also a preservative as it lowers the pH of the jam (more below).

When pectin is added to jam, it can also better maintain the fruits color and vibrancy because of the shorter cooking time.

Figs are naturally beautiful and colored in pink and red and I have not found that cooking it for 40 minutes affects the color or the taste. I do not use pectin in this fig jam recipe. I do not can in this fig jam recipe.

The Lowdown on Sugar and Lemon as Preservatives For Fig Jam.

Sugar is a preservative of some sorts. As is lemon juice as it lowers the pH of jams and jellies and help to inhibit bacteria growth.

This fig jam recipe has both sugar and lemon juice (acid). Bacteria / microorganisms will eventually grow here but your nose and tastebuds and eyes will see/smell/taste it, so don't trip out too much. Just eat the jam.

Choosing Figs for Fig Jam

Choose figs that are unblemished and not bruised when buying from the grocery store. These figs are from our yard and they taste the best when they have a couple "stretch marks".

Jam is forgiving. It can take a little bit of bruised fruit and a little bit of underripe fruit as long as the majority of the fruit is that perfect ripeness that we all love.

The Color of the Type of Fig Determines The Color of Fig Jam

There are so many types of figs. Any type of fig will work for this jam recipe, just remember the color of the jam will be a combination of the color of both the skin and the inside of the fig.

The most common grocery store figs are black mission and brown turkey.  Both are darker on the outside and a beautiful pink inside. The figs in this recipe came from my backyard and they are most likely one of those varieties.

Use a Stainless Steel Low Sided Pot To Make Jam

Stainless steel doesn't react or impart a taste like aluminum or cast iron pans. A cast iron dutch oven or pot is fine as long as it's got the enamel on it.

Jam will cook quicker when it has a wide low sided pot because the liquid will cook off faster because of the large surface area, thus - the jam will thicken faster.

This pot has a fancy name and is called a rondeau pot. See it in the above picture with the quartered figs in a stainless steel pot with straight sides.

Cook jam at a low simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally so the sugar doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Fig Jam without Pectin Ingredient Ideas

This is a basic and simple fig jam recipe. Up your game by adding a dash of your favorite citrus, herbs, or spices. Some ideas are:

• Cinnamon
• Cardamom
• Ginger
• Orange Juice / Zest
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Orange Liquor - (shout out to my friend Kimbalaya!)
• Vanilla Extract
• Honey

Troubleshooting Making Homemade Fig Jam

• Fig jam will thicken as it cools. If Fig jam ends up being too runny, thicken it with a little cornstarch slurry or just boil jam down some more.
• If there is excessive foam at the end, just skim it off.  I usually don't even bother. Some people add a tab of butter and stir it in and that gets rid of it.
• A candy thermometer is often used to check that jam is at 220 F to properly set.  I never worry about it as the jam is always simmering and has definitely reached that temperature.
• Some folks use a method of putting a plate in the freezer and then adding the jam to it to see if it's set after cooking.  I have found this a rather useless practice and inconsistent.

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