Jammin' in the Kitchen

My first attempt at making jam is an unqualified success! Obviously, I am rather pleased with myself over this accomplishment. Though, if the truth is told, it was pretty easy and my mom told me how to do it. Interestingly enough, one of my son's friends appeared at the door yesterday afternoon with a jar of strawberry jam in hand - still warm - from his mom's kitchen. This was the final impetus to make some of my own from our fig tree which is overflowing with fruit. Today marks the second large batch we've taken from the tree - not to mention the small bundles we've picked for munchies - and there is a third round still on the tree. I chopped about six cups of fruit to make the jam, quartered and froze another five cups of fruit, and ate quite a few along the way - oh so sweet with just a smidgen of sea salt for enhancement.

Mom has been telling me for several weeks how easy it is to make jam, but something about it seemed mysterious, so I kept putting it off. When the neighbor made some of her own, I knew I had to try. I began with (nearly) equal parts fruit and sugar. (I was running just a little short on sugar, so I used about five cups of sugar to the six cups of chopped figs.) Next, I added some water to help dissolve the sugar and break down the figs. Unfortunately, I added too much. (Mom cautioned me about this, and it really didn't look like too much until I poured it in - alas.) The only harm done from this is that it took longer for the liquid to boil off and create the sweet, viscous concoction that is jam. Ultimately, the time worked out well since I cut up the rest of the figs and put them in the freezer while keeping an eye on the bubbling pot. Towards the end, the figs degraded into small bits and the jam thickened quickly requiring nearly constant stirring, but it was worth it when I spooned out a little to share with Jeff. (We licked the spoons, our fingers, the bowl, the pot - you get the idea.) At the end of the process, I filled three (sterilized) 10 ounce jars with this sticky goodness. I can't wait to taste it on buttermilk biscuits tomorrow morning. Mmm...

Finally, I learned that Mom was right (how could she not be?) about how easy it is to make jam. As I put the quartered figs into the freezer, I noticed some blueberries hiding in the back. They'll be next, I think.