Orange Fig Jam – When Life Gives You Figs, Make Fig Jam
This orange fig jam recipes is so incredibly easy to make, requires no pectin and tastes heavenly! I don’t even like figs and I love this jam. Use it on bread, in desserts, but my favorite way is with brie and crackers!
If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you may recall that I don’t like fresh figs.
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However, I love orange fig jam! I’m going to show you…
How to Make Orange Fig Jam
I wish I did like figs, because they’re insanely good for you, but I just don’t; I can’t lie. However, a few years ago, I was practically force fed an appetizer by a French foodie friend, that had fig jam on top–and well–I loved it! It didn’t taste like figs to me, and the funny thing is that my mother, who ADORES fresh figs, doesn’t like fig jam! She thinks it’s sacrilegious to even think about making fig jam.
Well, I had to disappoint her (again), because at our last Food Bloggers of Los Angeles (FBLA) meeting, the lovely Karla Stockli from the California Fig Advisory Board, Fresh Fig Growers Association and Fig Institute joined us, and brought us all flats of fresh figs (how’s that for alliteration?) At first, I wasn’t going to take one, but then I realized that I could make fig jam.
When I got home, I set out to find a recipe online and came across a Drunken Fig Jam recipe from Bon Appétit, and decided I’d make an orange version of it by replacing the brandy with Grand Marnier. I also swapped half of the lemon zest for orange. As I already commented, I like orange fig jam on top of brie and crackers, but you can use it anyway you like to use any other jam. Put it on bread or toast, in yogurt, with scones, etc. I hope you enjoy my recipe!
(Thank you, Karla! We’ll enjoy those figs well into winter now!)
Orange Fig Jam
adapted from Drunken Fig Jam on Bon Appétit makes about 5 half pint jars
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- ripe, fresh figs
- zest from a fresh organic orange
- zest from a fresh organic lemon
- sugar
- Grand Marnier
- pinch of salt
Special equipment: glass jars for the jam
Directions to Make Orange Fig Jam
Place the figs in a large pot.
Next, add the orange and lemon zest, sugar, Grand Marnier and pinch of salt into the same pot.
Stir and let stand at room temperature for one hour, stirring occasionally.
After an hour, put the pot on medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil the orange fig jam for approximately half an hour. Stir and mash the figs with a potato masher, to crush the pieces. When it has boiled for half an hour, remove from heat.
Ladle the orange fig jam into rinsed, hot clean jars (rinsed with boiling water), leaving about 1/4″ space at the top, clean the rim and cover with hot lids (also rinsed with boiling water).
Finally, process in a water bath for 10 minutes, or keep refrigerated.
NOTE: when I make jam, I pour the boiling jam into old jam jars. Once the jam cools, the middle of the lids will almost always “pop” meaning the jars have sealed (the center of the jar will also become concave). If they do not “pop”, the jam will definitely spoil (and will be dangerous to ingest) if not refrigerated. I keep the unsealed jars in the fridge.
Cut some pretty fabric and cover the lids, tied with a little ribbon for beautiful gifts.
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Orange Fig Jam
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups fresh figs (stems removed and cut into 1/2" pieces)
- 1 orange zest organic
- 1 lemon zest organic
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Place the figs in a large pot the add the orange and lemon zest, sugar, Grand Marnier and pinch of salt. Stir and let stand at room temperature for one hour, stirring occasionally.
- After an hour, put the pot on medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil for approximately half an hour, stirring and mashing the figs with a potato masher, to crush the pieces. Remove from heat.
- Ladle into rinsed, hot clean jars (rinsed with boiling water), leaving about 1/4″ space at the top, clean the rim and cover with hot lids (also rinsed with boiling water) immediately.
- When cool, the lids will "POP" and become concave in the middle. If this does not happen, the seal is not good and you will have to store these jars in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
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I made this jam with fresh figs. The jars didn’t seal so I’ve got them in the fridge. How long can I keep it in the fridge? It’s delicious by the way!
Goodness, they should be fine for a minimum of 6 months, Debra. I find they sometimes don’t seal if my jars aren’t wiped and closed immediately after filling them. Glad you like it!
Can you use frozen figs. I had a lot of figs this year so I froze a lot.
Jennifer
I haven’t tried, but I can’t see why not, Jennifer. Note: there will be more water in the figs since they’ve been frozen so take that into account, it may need to boil a bit longer to set. Let me know how it turns out.
I freeze figs until I can get to them for canning.
Good idea, Gerry!
Do l have to use alcohol
No, Mellissa. You can use orange juice instead. Let me know how you like it.
4.5 cups of figs is the measurement with the figs cut up or whole figs?
Uncut, but it all depends on the size of the figs, Diane, which is why a scale is truly irreplaceable in jam making. I highly recommend using a scale for best results.
When you say 5 jars..what size jars are you referring to?
Hi Barb, sorry it was in the body of the post. About 5 ½ pint jars (8 oz).
Thanks