Fig Jam is a low-sugar or low-honey cooked jam made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
Servings 5 cups
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds of fresh figs to yield 4 cups mashed fig
- 4 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- ½ cup lemon juice bottled
- ½ cup up to 1 cup honey or ¾ cup up to 2 cups sugar
- 3 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
- Wash, stem, chop, and mash figs. If figs are too firm for mashing, bring to boil in sauce pan with ½ cup of water and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and mash.
- Measure 4 cups of mashed fig into sauce pan. Save any extra for another use.
- Add calcium water and lemon juice, and mix well.
- Measure sugar or room temperature honey into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener. Set aside.
- Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
Deb Anastasio
Is there a way to add vidalia onion to this jam?
Shelby Collings
We would recommend following our recipe HERE and substituting the mangos for mashed figs. You may also omit any spices that you wish.
Colleen Pariani
I have a question can I use citric acid in place of the lemon juice in this recipe I am afraid the lemon will overpower the fig taste. Thank you
Shelby Collings
You sure can! 1 teaspoon of citric acid is equivalent to 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
Suzanne
Can I use dried figs in this recipe?
Shelby Collings
You sure can, you will just need to rehydrate them first.
Place dried fruit in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes until plump then strain and use (you may wish to reserve the “juice” so that you can add it to your jam mixture if it appears to need more liquid…as we want it to behave as it does when it was fresh).
Happy jamming and please let us know if you have any further questions!
Colleen Pariani
I have made this jam several times and I love it. I was wondering if I could use 1/4 cup of orange juice in addition to the bottled lemon juice in the recipe? I went through the questions and I am confused because it seems like I can but another post makes it seem like I should not.
Thank you Colleen Pariani
Shelby Collings
Yes Colleen, you sure can!
Colleen Pariani
Thank you for such a quick reply. I love Pomona Pectin. I love being able to use less sweetener in my jams and preserves. Your help using your product is very much appreciated.🌹
Colleen Pariani
I have a quick question is 1/4 cup of lemon juice correct this is what I have always used.. When I reading through posts on another site someone had mentioned the correct amount is a 1/2 cup now. I am confused. Thank you🥀
Shelby Collings
Great question! Yes, 1/2 cup lemon juice is now the recommended amount of lemon juice for this recipe. Happy jamming!
Heather
Can you give an explanation why the increase in lemon juice from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup? Is it to make it more shelf stable because overall, this recipe has less sugar than most traditional recipes? I’m afraid I will need to add more sugar than normal to balance the flavors….Which defeats the purpose of using Pamonas IMO since fig preserves can be successfully made without any pectin.
Shelby Collings
Yes, the increase in acid is to ensure the jam is safe for water bath canning and shelf stable.
Happy jamming!
David Payne
Instead of using ½ cup of honey, and to cut my carbs a little, could I use ¼ cup of honey [for flavour] and ¼ cup of erythritol. Many thanks in advance.
Dave
Shelby Collings
You sure can! Just be sure the pectin is well incorporate before gradually adding it to the hot fruit.
Allyson
Is is possible to make a strawberry fig jam? Would I just use 4 cups prepared figs and 4 cups prepared strawberries and double everything else?
Shelby Collings
You sure can! That sounds delicious 🍓
Cristina Flores Speer
We have so many figs I decided to make two batches of 1.5 recipe each. 6 cups of fruit is what the pot I use to boil the fruit can hold which is also what my hand mixing can handle. My husband grows 4 variety of figs and they are prolific. Making jam with Pomona Pectin stretches the time we can enjoy our figs as well as share them with friends. Thank you for everything you share on this page.
Leslie
When I searched fig on the website I noticed that there was an article/newsletter from 2016 that mentions that the lemon juice amount should be 1/2 a cup per 4 cups mashed but the recipe above still says 1/4 of a cup of lemon juice. Can you please confirm whether it should be 1/4 cup or 1/2 a cup? I’d like to make it but not sure how much lemon juice to use.
Shelby Collings
Hello Leslie,
It should be 1/4 cup of lemon juice for the fig jam. Happy jamming!
Dani
Safe to pressure can?
Shelby Collings
Is it possible to destroy the jelling power of Pomona’s Pectin by overcooking?
Yes. Pomona’s Pectin will start breaking down if it is subjected to extended cooking. After you have added the pectin to your boiling fruit mixture, you can continue to cook for up to 10 minutes without harming the pectin. After 10 minutes you risk breaking down the pectin.
An extended boiling water-bath of the filled jars also risks breaking down the pectin. The pectin is likely to be totally broken down by pressure canning. If you follow the cooking times in the directions and recipes that come with Pomona’s, the pectin will retain its full jelling power.
Donna Scheuermann
Can this recipe be doubled?
Shelby Collings
It sure can!
Ruthann
can I use balsamic vinegar in place of the lemon juice?
Shelby Collings
Hello Ruthann,
If you know that your balsamic is 5% acidity, then yes!
Michaela Jacobsen
Hello,
I don’t see the fruit peel in you fig jam picture. Do you keep the peel when you mash it or take it out? I’m using green figs. Thank you!
Shelby Collings
Hello Michaela,
We have always used the peels of the figs in our jams. Happy jamming!
Michaela Jacobsen
Thank you! I have another question. How much calcium is in one calcium packet? A teaspoon?
Michaela Jacobsen
Also how long does the calcium water last for in the refrigerator?
Shelby Collings
The calcium water can be stored in the fridge for several months (will just need to be tossed if it has any floating bits or smell or color). It can also be stored in the freezer and will keep indefinitely, and will just need to be thawed before use. We also highly recommend labeling your jar of calcium water, as it seems to be the first item tossed when cleaning the fridge/freezer 😉.
Shelby Collings
There is roughly 1 teaspoon per 3gram pouch of calcium powder.
Mara
Can you use figs that were previously frozen in this recipe? I froze a bunch of fresh figs and would love to make jam with them.
Shelby Collings
You sure can! Simply allow them to come to room temperature, pour off any excess liquid, then mash.
Marissa Lillis
I have some homemade canned figs that were given to me, they are in a sweetened syrup. Would it be possible to use these and just adjust the sugar?
Shelby Collings
Unfortunately you will not be able to use them for jam if they are already in a syrup.
Mara
Great recipe! I made it with fresh figs and the jam turned out super delicious. Takes great on bread and makes a lovely addition to a charcuterie board. Will be making this recipe again.
Amy
Would the 1/4 cup of added orange juice be in addition to the 1/2 of lemon juice and 4 cups of mashed fig?
Shelby Collings
Hello Amy,
If you are wishing to add some orange flavor to this fig jam, we would recommend using the zest of 1 cleaned orange.
Aly
Can I use fresh lemon juice, or is bottled better?
Shelby Collings
We recommend using bottled lemon juice, as it had a guaranteed pH level.
Patricia Wall
Can you add part of sugar directly to figs before cooking to get better juicing?
Shelby Collings
You sure can! Just be sure not to exceed the amount of sugar called for in the recipe.
jodie paradis-thibault
Can you add oranges/OJ to this recipe?
Shelby Collings
Hello Jodie,
That sounds delicious! We would recommend adding the zest of one orange for best flavor and 1/4 cup orange juice.
Happy jamming!
janiece
Do you have any recommendations on substituting dried figs for the fresh ones?
Shelby Collings
Hello there,
You sure can! You will just want to reconstitute them by soaking them in hot water before mashing them and measuring out the 4 cups.