Ginger Fig Preserves
Ginger Fig Preserves
Ingredients
Makes: about 1 1/2 quarts
Prep: about 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
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3 lb. Fresh Figs
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3 cups Sugar ( I like this level of sweetness with the spice. Use less sugar if you like.)
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1 inch “knob” or chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
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Zest of one Fresh Lemon
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Juice of one Fresh Lemon
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A Second Fresh Lemon, sliced into rounds
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1/4 Tsp. Salt
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1 1/2 c. Candied or Crystallized Ginger – chopped into small pieces
Instructions
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Rinse your fresh figs and drain. Then cut off any woody or green stems.
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Slice the figs in 1/2 lengthwise. If the figs are large, you can quarter them. I like large fig pieces in my fig preserves. You can make them smaller if you like.
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Place them in a pot.
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Peel and slice the fresh ginger.
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Add the sugar, fresh ginger, lemon juice, lemon slices, and salt.
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Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring a little and cover, reducing heat.
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Simmer covered for 1 hour. Stir the mixture occasionally during this process.
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After the hour, remove the cover, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes more. The mixture will condense and thicken.
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Then add the candied ginger while the mixture is hot. Stir in.
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Cool completely. You want to leave the lemon slices and ginger in the preserves, as they soften and “candy” during cooking and add wonderful dimension and flavor.
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Fill your containers and freeze the ones you are not intending to use right away. (You can follow your own directions for canning if you prefer to can them.)