Fig Preserves

Wash and sort figs (ripe but not falling apart).  Precook 4 to 6 minutes in boiling water at simmering.  Drain.  Make a syrup of 2 parts sugar, 3 parts water (8 cups sugar and 12 cups water will cover 6 pints of figs).  Boil syrup 10 minutes.  Add drained figs gradually to boiling syrup.  Cook gently for 2 to 4 hours until figs are transparent.  If syrup is not thick, remove figs and boil down the syrup.  Return figs to syrup overnight to plump figs.  Pack figs in clean jars, hot or cold (both figs and jars must be hot or cold).  Seal.  Process 15 minutes in hot water bath. 

Variations:  For each 6 quarts of figs, add 3 sliced lemons to the syrup at the beginning when returning figs to syrup.  Cook with figs and seal in jars same as above OR Add 4 Tbsp. sliced preserved or fresh ginger at the same time as or instead of the lemons.

Donald and I made lots of fig jam and preserves from the trees at our house on Monroe Street.  They are really good on biscuits in the winter.  Try them on oatmeal with a little milk or Half 'n Half.