I've said I wanted to can for years, I even sat though a mini seminar on it at the Minister's Wives Retreat (Louisiana Baptist Association has a great one that a few of us went to in our youth minister days) about 4 years ago just dreaming of canning everything on Earth like the teacher was doing.
I also grew up with a grandmother who canned and a good friend of mine's mother spent the summer canning. Plus my step mother-in-law is a major canner.
So I had to join in, and I have to say no one has died of botulism yet and it tasted really good.
This recipe was a combination of scavenaging off the internet, my mother telling me about my great grandmother's recipe, and remembering what I ate after standing on a ladder in a fig tree one summer.
It's crazy easy to make, if I can do it I promise that you can too.
All that to say, next summer I'm planting only tomatoes and cucumbers and canning my heart out.
Strawberry Fig Preserves
9 cups of masked figs (I used a combo of red and green, it's what was ripe)
9 cups of sugar
3 large boxes of Strawberry Jell-O
Directions:
Wash and stem figs in a sink full of water. Place in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. To get a smaller size consider quartering them before mashing.
Place all ingredients in a large pot stirring often at medium high heat for 25 minutes. It is done when a liquid droplet will hang off the spoon.
Pour into sterile canning jars, top with hot sterile lids, and seal with canning rings. Process in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Depending on the altitude you live at you may need to adjust your time, Google it before starting.
We live in basically below sea level so I processed mine for 10 minutes.
After they are done remove the jars and place them seal down on a dishtowel for about 30 minutes to cool and make sure the hot liquid reaches the seal. After that turn them right side up and you'll start to hear popping.
In the event a jar doesn't seal you will need to use it up first, otherwise the rest can go into your pantry for a year.
Happy Canning!
Now if I can only get my hands on a ton of cucumbers and tomatoes this season!
