Homemade Gift Idea: Jam Galore

Something I treasure as an ultimate indulgent treats is fig jam with goat cheese on crackers. Every time I find myself in a specialty food shop – or up in Napa where country stores with gourmet goods are a dime a dozen – I can’t resist buying a jar. But at sometimes upwards of ten dollars a pop, this jam ain’t cheap. So after Jillian and I took a canning class back in September, where we learned how to can tomato sauce and peaches, we decided to try out canning on our own. And what better thing to can – which we decided we could later give out as holiday presents – than fig jam. The experience was a ton of fun, we perfected the recipe (oh come on, it’s not like I was going to go 3 months with that beloved jam sitting in my house without dipping in a few times) and we canned A LOT of jam (plenty to give all of the people on our gift lists!) So now that the holiday season is upon us, it’s time to get our jars out of the closet and start distributing it to our loved ones.

When I first wrote about our canning adventure I didn’t post the recipe, so I thought I’d do it now. Alas, figs aren’t in season any longer, so unless you decide to give in to imported figs, you will have to save this recipe for next year. Don’t fret though, I also thought I’d post some other yummy jam recipes that feature in-season fruits so you can get in on the jam action this year too. Jam is a really great gift because you can usually make it for a lot less than what you pay for it in a specialty shop and it’s usually a lot better. Bundle it with some crackers or cheese if you want to beef up the holiday package and don’t forget to include a label to tell people what type of delicious treat you’re giving them and what date you made it on…you can even include a gift tag with the recipe (if it’s not a family secret!).

Holiday Jams Ideas: Jugalbandi’s Cranberry-Orange Jam; Melting Your Mouth’s Spiced Blood Orange and Persimmon Jam;  Simply Recipes’ Meyer Lemon Marmalade; The Worlwide Gourmet’s Pink Grapefruit Jam; Kitchen Simplicity’s Grapefruit Cranberry Marmalade; and Epicurious’ Ginger-Pear Marmalade

Cinnamon-Fig Jam (From Eating Out Loud)
3/8 cup sugar* (I use a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill it a little less than the full amount)
1/2 cup water
1 lb. mission figs (about 10-12 figs), quartered
3 1 inch strips lemon zest (I use a vegetable peeler to get my 3 strips off the lemon)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 lemon juiced

Makes 1 1/2 cup (Recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, or more!)

Add sugar and water in a pan and heat until the sugar dissolves. Add in quartered figs, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let simmer for about 1 hour or until mixture thickens (the mixture will thicken up a bit more once it has cooled). Let cool completely and store in an air tight container in the fridge).

*Note: I usually halve the sugar in any jam recipe – for instance this called for 3/4 sugar originally – as more often than not the jams are WAY too sweet with the full amount  added. Plus, if you buy good quality fruit you don’t want to drown out their naturally delicious flavors with sugar.

Tagged as: appetizer, cinnamon-fig, holiday gift, jam, marmalade, Recipes