Peach And Fig Preserves Recipes

FIG AND PEACH JAM

Steps:

• Pulse figs and peaches in a food processor and pulse 8 - 10 times. Leaving some chunks.
• Add all ingredients in a large heavy bottom saucepan. Cook over high heat stirring frequently to prevent scorching about 10-15 minutes or until full rolling boil.
• Stir in white sugar. Return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for (3) minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add Grand Marnier.
• Remove cinnamon stick and vanilla pod.
• Skim off foam. Ladle in hot sterilized jars, wipe rims and place lids and screw top on.
• Place in a hot water bath covering by 1 inch of water. Process in boiling bath 10 minutes. Shut heat off and let sit in water bath 5 more minutes. Then remove the jars from the hot water without tilting and set aside to cool.
• Leave for 12 hours then check the seals on the jars by pressing on the centers of the lids. If the lids do not spring back, they are vacuum sealed and the jam can be stored at room temperature.
• Another way to check is to remove the ring and try to lift the lid. If it lifts up, it wasn't sealed properly. If the lid flexes, there is no seal, so store the jar in the freezer or refrigerator instead.

GRANDMA'S SPICED PEACH PRESERVES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add peaches. Cook until peach skin begins to split, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly. Peel, pit, and quarter peaches and transfer to a large pot. Mash peaches with a potato masher and stir in sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.
• Cook and stir on low heat until desired consistency, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack peach preserves into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars into the boiling water using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all).

FIG OR PEAR PRESERVES...THE OLD FASHIONED WAY

Steps:

• 1. Preparing the fruit: *For Figs...wash and slice. Small figs cut in half. Large figs cut into fourths. *For Pears...peel and slice. *Get out a large pot you plan on cooking them in. *Get out a medium size bowl for measuring.
• 2. Measuring: Use the same bowl to measure fruit and sugar. Put into large pot three (3) parts fruit to one (1) part sugar. Be sure to use the pot you're going to be cooking them in. Cover with lid and let stand overnight (not refrigerated) or for 10 to 12 hours to allow the sugar to melt.
• 3. Getting started: Remove lid and stir. Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and stir again. This just makes them a beautiful golden color but it's your choice whether to use it or not. I normally always use it.
• 4. Cooking: Cook on medium-high without the lid. You want a steady rolling boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to bottom of pot. Boil for 1 1/2 hours to 4 hours, depending on amount of fruit you have. A smaller amount won't take as long so use your own judgement.
• 5. Jar them: Laddle them into clean jars and seal tightly. If you want you can turn the jars upside down for 15 minutes then right side up but it's really not necessary. A lot of older people used to do this. (It is not necessary to do a water bath with this recipe). You should hear them "pop" within 30 to 40 minutes. If you have one that doesn't seal, just put it in the fridge.
• 6. Tips: I start checking them after they have cooked for about an hour and a half or so. I put a small amount into a cup and let it get cool to see how runny it is. I keep doing this so I'll know when they're the consistency I want. In the meantime, I put my jars, lids and rings into the dishwasher on the rinse cycle. This way they are sterile. Be sure they are absolutely dry before filling. Also, I always carefully remove the rings before storing. You can reuse the rings but not the lids. Good luck.

FIG PRESERVES (JELLY) STRAWBERRY,GRAPE,PEACH

Steps:

• 1. Prepare your jars...wash figs and cut off stems. Mash with potato masher or put in food processor is what I did.
• 2. Put figs in cooking pot,and add 3 cups of sugar and 1 box of large jello of your choice (strawberry). Stir and cook on medium heat until boiling,constantly stirring.A foam will form but will dissipate.
• 3. Takes about 15-20 min..will turn a deep shade of red and will coat the spoon. As quickly as you can fill your jars and screw down tightly. Immerse jars into boiling water bath making sure the jars are covered,boil for 10-15 min.
• 4. Remove from water and let cool. Approximately 4-6 small jelly jars (8oz jars)

PEACH AND FIG PRESERVES

Steps:

• Bring enough water to cover peaches to a boil. Put peaches in the boiling water for just 1 minute or under. Take them out with a slotted spoon and place them in cold water. Peel and slice peaches. Discard peach pits.
• In a large pot place sugar, vanilla pod and the seeds, figs, peaches, with optional cinnamon or ginger, lemon juice, zest and meat of lemon.
• Stir to release juices it will be thick. Simmer over low heat stirring not to burn. Juices will come and when it does raise heat to high stirring most of the time.
• Remove vanilla and cinnamon.
• With an immersion blender blend fruit till chunky smooth.
• Add back the vanilla and cinnamon.
• As mixture thicken, you must stir more frequently to ensure that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
• When it hits a rolling boil for 15 minutes all the time stirring add liquor cook 1 minute.
• To test whether the jam is ready, place a cold metal spoon in the mixture and tilt. The jam should form a single stream.
• Remove and discard bean and cinnamon.
• Pour into sterile jars and process 10 minutes.
• Optional for those that like it smoother without chunks you can blend the figs before adding to sugar or use an immersion blender while cooking.

FIG PRESERVES

Steps:

• Place the orange zest and orange juice in a medium (10-inch) heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add the sugar, vanilla bean, and figs to the pot. Cover and bring to a full boil over medium heat. (Don't worry; it may look dry.) Stir the mixture and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat, and cook uncovered at a full simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the little bubbles to be throughout the pot, not just at the edges. After 45 minutes, refrigerate a small amount of the liquid to see if it becomes syrupy. It should be like a soft fruit preserve. Keep cooking just until the liquid starts to gel when cold. If the liquid is too firm, add a little orange juice or water, cook for a minute, and test it again until it's right. Depending on how ripe the figs are, they will probably keep their shape, but it's fine if they don't. Discard the vanilla bean and serve or refrigerate.

COUNTRY PEACH PRESERVES

Steps:

• Fill 2/3 of a large soup pot with water. Bring to a boil. Add peaches for 30 -45 seconds, then remove with slotted spoon and drain the pot. Remove peaches immediately to a large bowl of cold water.
• Peel the skin, cut the peaches into quarters and remove pits.
• Place all peeled peaches in a large soup pot and squeeze in juice of 1 lemon. Drizzle well with 2 cups sugar, toss and drizzle again with the remaining 1.5-2 cups so the sugar reaches all the peaches. If peaches are very sweet, you may only need 3 1/2 cups of sugar total. Add more sugar to taste while its cooking.
• Let peaches sit at room temp with the sugar for about 30 min -1 hour, or until sugar is dissolved.
• Place the pot over the stove uncovered and bring to a light boil, stirring to prevent scorching. Once the whole pot is at a light boil, simmer for 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Let the pot stand uncovered until it is just warm to the touch or reaches room temp.
• As soon as it cools, repeat step 3. You will bring it to a light boil a total of 5 times. Preserves have plenty of sugar so they won't spoil at room temp if you leave it on the counter overnight. If you want the preserves to have an even thicker consistency, you can boil it 6 times if you wish. (Note: the fifth time you boil, bring it to a boil over a little lower heat and stir a few extra times to prevent scorching. Also, it thickens more as it cools.)
• The last time you bring it to a boil you will want to transfer it to sterilized jars while it's boiling hot.
• Transfer your boiling hot preserves to the jars using a glass measuring cup and a funnel (least messy method) leaving about 1/2″ space.
• Screw the lids on enough to keep a tight seal in place but don't over-tighten them since air bubbles need to be able to escape.
• Place packed cans into the canning pot and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and process 15 minutes. Remove from the pot with jar lifter and leave at room temperature undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You may hear a pop when the jars fully seal. After 24 hours, check that the seal has formed by pushing down on the center of the lid - it should not move at all. If the seal does not form, refrigerate preserves and enjoy within 3 months.

REAL FIG PRESERVES

Steps:

• Dissolve the baking soda in about 2 quarts of cool water, and immerse the figs in the treated water in a large bowl. Gently stir to wash the figs, then drain off the water and rinse the figs thoroughly with fresh cool water. Place the figs into a large pot. Add 1 cup water, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, lemon, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Very gently stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar, keeping the figs intact as much as possible.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the figs are golden brown and coated in syrup, about 1 hour. Stir gently a couple of times to keep the figs from burning onto the bottom of the pot. Add a pinch of salt, if desired, to tame the sweetness.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the figs into the hot, sterilized jars and top off with syrup, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area, and wait at least 2 days before opening.

PEACH PRESERVES

Steps:

• Crush 1 cup chopped peaches in the bottom of a large saucepan. Add remaining peaches, and set pan over medium-low heat. Bring to a low boil, and cook for about 20 minutes or until peaches become liquid (my family likes a few bits of peach left) .
• Pour peaches into a bowl, and then measure 6 cups back into the pan. Add sugar, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Gradually stir in dry pectin, and boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat after 1 minute, and transfer to sterilized jars. Process in hot water bath canner for 10 minutes. Let cool, and place on shelf.