Process in boiling water canner for 5 minutes. If figs are not peeled, wash, drain and cook the same way. For a brighter color, clean figs by bringing to a boil in hot water. Let stand 3 minutes; drain, then add to boiling syrup. Using frozen figs: Place frozen figs in large kettle, add sugar and water and heat slowly until figs thaw. Add sliced lemon if desired, bring to a boil and cook as above.
Pour 3 quarts boiling water over figs. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain and discard liquid. Rinse figs in cold water and drain.
Boil rapidly 10 minutes. Skim syrup; remove and discard lemon slices. Drop figs carefully into the boiling hot syrup, a few at a time. Cook rapidly until figs are transparent. Remove figs and place in shallow pan. Boil syrup until thick, pour over figs and let stand 6 to 8 hours. Sterilize canning jars. Reheat figs and syrup to boiling. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids.
Process half-pints or pints in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes. Yield: About 10 half-pint jars. When figs are very ripe, try this recipe for fig jam strawberry or blackberry- flavored.
Add sugar, gelatin and lemon to figs. Bring slowly to boil, and boil 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. They have a dark purple exterior with bright pink fleshy interiors. Brown Turkey figs look very similar to Black Mission figs as they have a brown and purple exterior. They do, however, have a light pink flesh with a mild and less sweet flavor. This makes them great for salads, or desserts that already contain a lot of sweetness. Calimyrna figs are large with a green and slightly golden outer skin.
Their beautiful pink interiors make them great for use as a garnish, on fruit platters, or cheese platters. These figs have a unique nutty flavor.
Kadota figs have light green skin with pale flesh. Not quite as sweet as other figs, they are a good option for salad, pizza topping, and are ideal to cook into jams and preserves.
Figs can be frozen to preserve their delicious taste, but may not retain a plump texture on thawing. Ice crystals form on freezing which damages the cell walls of the fruit. Once thawed, the firm texture turns softer and a little mushy.
In fact, using frozen figs instead of fresh figs in cooking will speed up the process as the fruit cell walls have already been broken down. It is preferable to store figs separately from other fruits since they can cause other fruits to deteriorate faster.
The better the quality of the figs is before freezing, the better they will be once defrosted. Always use fresh figs that are fully ripe. Figs can be frozen with or without sugar, peeled or unpeeled.
Coating them in sugar helps to preserve the flavor and color during the freezing process. Wash the figs in cold water and remove any overripe figs which will not freeze well. Cut the stems and, if preferred, peel them. Cut the figs in halves or quarters as you prefer and choose one of the following methods to prepare them for storing in the freezer.
Figs will turn a darker color during freezing due to contact with air. You could also just squeeze a little lemon juice over them instead.
Spread the cut figs on a lined baking sheet so that they do not touch each other. Place the baking sheet in the freezer just until the figs are frozen solid. Remove the sheet from the freezer and pack the frozen fig pieces into zip lock freezer bags. When they are thawed, they turn soft or mushy, but it is still good to freeze them for longer storage. Fresh figs, just like other fruits, are also likely to discolor.
When storing them, be sure to add some citrus acid to help keep them looking good. You can tell when fresh figs have gone bad when they produce a sour smell. You may notice a white powdery form appearing on the figs, but these could just be its natural sugars. However, you must also be cautious of mold growing on them. If you cannot tell the difference between the natural sugars and the mold, it is best if you just throw them away to be safe. It is recommended not to place figs near other fruits and vegetables in your storage area.
This is because figs produce ethylene gas that causes others to deteriorate faster. Keep the figs in a separate container or put them at the back of your fridge or freezer.
It is important to choose fresh figs for freezing, those that are soft but not mushy. Figs must be picked ripe from trees because they do not ripen once they have been picked. Freezing figs can be done in two ways — either by putting them directly into the freezer or by preserving them in syrup and then freezing them.
Check out this delicious Baked Sweet Figs with Yoghurt recipe, perfect for those who are health-conscious.
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