GREEN FIG PRESERVE. GREEN FIG KONFYT. DECEMBER 2013 - BUSHMANS RIVER MOUTH -- BATHURST MARKET

GREEN FIG PRESERVE. GREEN FIG KONFYT. DECEMBER 2013 - BUSHMANS RIVER MOUTH -- BATHURST MARKET

While we waited for the Figs to boil, Charles made us this amazing Paella on the fire.

Figs boiling in a mixture of Sugar and Ginger.

Paella on the fire

The final product. We bottled three big and one small bottle of Preserve from an initial packet of 1.2kg of Green Figs

We are staying at Charles and Ingrid's holiday home at Bushmans River; Eastern Cape; SOuth Africa.
He tells me that he is going to give a packet of Green Figs to someone at Bathurst who makes preserve. On Saturday mornings there is a Farmers Market. We go together and as a small reward this man gives a bottle of the Jam to Charles.

Back at the house we decide to give this a try. THe fig tree at the bottom of the garden was boxed in by some Stink Boom (ink Tree) which we cleared. The tree has it's origin in our neighbours home. I had to climb up and reach over to his side. His dogs went balistic and he came across to kind of investigate what was going on. I explained what we were up to and he was not at all perturbed. We used Recipe Four below. As a first try not bad. The skins were a bit rough and the syrup a bit thin and light in colour. We tried the jam out the following morning and while it was not as good as the bottle from the Bathurst Market person it was certainly palatable.

GREEN FIG JAM RECIPE ONE
I mentioned the benefit of unripe fig sap in the recipe of dried fig dessert. That sticky white liquid is helpful in the treatment of skin warts. Just drop it on the wart and see the result

Wash the figs and clean their stems. We’ll boil the figs two times changing the water each time to lose its unripeness taste. Fill a large pot with water and boil the figs for about 10 minutes. Let it cool

When it is cool enough to touch, squeeze the figs gently to remove the bad taste. You can make tiny holes on figs with a needle if you like and then squeeze. Then fill the pot with water again, boil again and squeeze again. This squeezing part might take a long time, but if you are passionate enough, you’ll see it is worth. Then drain.
Meanwhile you can start to boil 5 ½ water and sugar together in a different pot. After it boils, add the squeezed figs in it. You will see that these figs turn back into their original shape in this boiling sherbet. Put the cloves with the figs to give this jam an outstanding flavor. Boil them for about 25 minutes. Finally, add lemon juice and boil it 5 minutes more.
Let it cool and fill it in jars. You can keep them at room temperature, at a dry and dark place. We love it cold, so we keep it in refrigerator. This makes a great summer dessert!

GREEN FIG RECIPE TWO
INGREDIENTS
• 1 kilo (2,20 pounds) unripe fig
• 1 kilo sugar
• 5 ½ cups water
• 1 lemon
• 4 cloves
Instructions
1. Wash the figs and clean their stems.
2. Fill a large pot with water and boil the figs for about 10 minutes.
3. Let it cool.
4. When they are cool enough to touch, squeeze the figs gently to remove the bad taste.
5. Repeat the same step.
6. Boil 5 ½ water and sugar together in a different pot.
7. Add the squeezed figs in it.
8. Put the cloves with the figs to give this jam an outstanding flavor.
9. Boil them for about 25 minutes.
10. Finally, add lemon juice and boil it 5 minutes more.
11. Let it cool and fill it in jars.




GREEN FIG RECIPE THREE
HULETTS GREEN FIG JAM
Ingredients
green figs
lime (available from chemists)
Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar
water
a few cloves
pieces of stick cinnamon
lemon juice
fresh root ginger


Note:
For 1,5 kg figs you would need:
1,5 kg Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar
950 ml water
500 g extra sugar
750 ml extra water

1. Select figs which are plump but not hollow inside.
2. Scrape or grate the figs to remove the outer peel, or peel thinly and make two incisions in a cross shape at the bottom end of each fig.
3. Weigh the fruit.
4. Soak overnight in a solution of lime or bicarbonate of soda (15 ml lime or 30 ml bicarbonate of soda per 3,4 litres water).
5. Rinse the fruit, place in boiling water and boil for about 15 minutes until tender.
6. Use the same water to make the syrup.
7. Press the water out and gradually place the figs in the boiling syrup.
8. Use 500 g sugar for every 500 g fruit, and 375 ml water for every 200 g sugar.
9. Add a few cloves, pieces of stick cinnamon or crushed root ginger and 45 to 60 ml lemon juice for every 3 kg fruit, if preferred.
10. Boil rapidly for about 2 hours until the fruit is clear and translucent, and the syrup has thickened.
11. Prepare 1,5 litres extra syrup to add if necessary.
12. Pack the figs in clean sterilized jars, fill with the syrup and seal.


GREEN FIG RECIPE FOUR

Marietjie’s mum used to say "I love you as much as fig jam" when she liked someone a lot, and she was right: green fig preserve is lovely with wholegrain bread and butter, irresistible on a cheese platter, and goes very well with buttermilk pudding. The whole preserved figs are also delicious on their own, especially when lovingly served up on cake plates with tea or coffee, as they did in the Old Cape.

Ingredients
• 2 kg green figs (from the first crop before the end of October - otherwise it is too ripe and become bitter when preserved)
• 2.5 kg sugar
• 2.5 litre water
• 2 ml (1/2 teaspoon) lemon juice
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground dried ginger
For the lime solution:
• 5 litres water
• 25 ml (5 teaspoons) slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, which can be found at pharmacies)
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) bicarbonate of soda
Ingredients
1. Remove skins from the figs with a fine grater or a serrated knife and cut a cross in stem end of each.
2. Make the lime solution and soak figs in it overnight.
3. The next day, boil the figs in 3 litres of water for about 20 minutes until they are tender and drain.
4. Bring 2.5 litre water and the sugar, lemon juice and ginger to the boil. Add the figs one by one and boil rapidly until the figs are soft enough to break open but still crisp, and the syrup is thick. This will take 45 to 60 minutes.
5. Bottle in hot sterilised jars, and fill the bottles to the brim with the syrup.
6. In her Afrikaans book about preserving food, Lekker vir Later, Annette Human describes a somewhat different recipe.
7. She soak her figs overnight in a mixture of 25 ml (5 teaspoons) salt per 2,5 litre water and rinse it well the next morning.
8. She then boils up 2 ml (1/2 teaspoon) blue vitriol or copper sulphate in water, add the figs and remove immediately when the water starts boiling again and rinse off well with cold water. This ensures that the figs have a lovely green colour – though we don’t recommend this specific step.
9. The figs are then boiled again in fresh water but with fig leaves, for about 4 minutes, until the figs are soft.
10. For the sauce, Annette Human use 7.5 litre water, 3 kg white sugar and 50 ml lemon juice or 10 ml cream of tartar per 2.5 kg figs. The figs are boiled in the syrup for about half an hour and then left in it overnight.
11. The next morning, the syrup is boiled again, the figs are added again, and when it starts to boil again, bottled in sterilized jars.