I Was Busy Today

I made sourdough bread, fresh basil pesto, and fig butter.  Bread is on the counter for consumption, pesto is in the freezer (and on our dinner tonight), and the fig butter is in ten lovely, little half-pint jars.

My grandparents have two fig trees in their yard, and each of us (children & grandchildren) chose a day to pick figs and do whatever we please with them.  I think it's also a requirement that we share the fruits of our labor!  I was able to get 12 cups of figs yesterday, and made this precious stuff this afternoon:

On sourdough bread of course, which happened to be fresh out of the oven and warm!
Are you drooling yet?

 

This was so easy to make.  My first foray into the world of canning was making a batch of apple butter with my roommate when we were both single and had the time.  We went over to my grandparents' house and spent all day with them, while they showed us everything they know.  Smart folks, my grandparents.  Apple butter is daunting - it takes a long, long time and involves quite a lot of work.  This fig butter was delightfully simple. 

Here is the recipe, adapted from this one I discovered on Pinterest.

6 cups figs, washed and stems cut off
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Wash and cut the stems off the figs.  When measuring figs, leave them whole.



FYI - the center of a ripe fig should be a pinkish-color. No need to peel them - the outer skins cook down.

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot (mine is 12 quarts).

I knew when I poured in the honey that this was gonna be good.

Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until figs are easily crushed.  Puree, either by transferring to a blender, or use an immersion blender.  Return to pot and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until liquid thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Ladle into hot jars, fit with lids and bands, and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.  Any extra fig butter that does not fill a jar can be placed in the fridge for immediate use.

As I previously mentioned, the Ball website is a fantastic source of information and recipes for canning.  There are guidelines that should be followed when pickling and preserving fruit and vegetables - this site explains everything. 

I'm thinking that I will use this fig butter on a Panini-style sandwich with ham and brie.  Or I might just eat it with a spoon, straight out of the jar.