Is there an abundance of figs in your backyard? Make this Unripe Fig Jam Recipe with some of them before they get ripe. You will be amazed with the result. Nothing like you've tasted before. A great sweet snack or a garnish for your crepes and pancakes.
Jams have a special place in the category of Turkish desserts, they are one of the staple breakfast food. Check out our mulberry jam recipe, orange jam recipe and lemon jam recipe, which are perfect with cakes. Also our plum jam made with butter is great on toasted bread. All are made without pectin.
We love that green color of this unripe fig jam! Most people think that unripe fruits are worthless. Wrong for unripe figs! This jam is unbelievable! Try it and see it yourself!
What Is Unripe Fig Jam?
When I saw unripe figs at the open market today, I decided to make this fig jam. A village woman was selling it. She told that she picked these unripe figs up from the tree in their village. She had no scales, just 2 bags of figs in front of her.
She said each bag weighs 1 kilo (2,20 pound), and her word was enough for me, no need to weigh on a scale. I bought one of the bags, but I had never made unripe fig jam before although I ate many times.
Luckily enough, that lady gave me the instructions providing that I would come back and tell her the result. Proud to say that I've succeeded. A bowl of the jam would be a nice gift for her, right?
You might find it weird to make jam of unripe figs, but I can tell that you don’t feel any unripeness when you taste it. We call it jam, but I think it can also be included in category of desserts as I love to eat it not just at breakfast but also during day with cream, ice cream or plain.
Btw did you know anything about the benefits of unripe fig sap, that sticky white liquid. It is helpful in the treatment of skin warts. Just drop it on the wart and see the result.
How To Prepare Unripe Figs
We need to prepare the unripe figs before starting to make the jam.
Wash the figs well and cut off their stems.
Fill a large pot with water, bring it to a boil and put the figs in it. Let them simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer them into a large bowl filled with cold water.
When they are cool enough to touch, squeeze the figs gently to remove their bitter taste. You can make tiny holes on figs with a needle if you like and then squeeze. This will help the bitter juice to release easier.
Repeat this step one more time. Boil some water in a pot, put the figs in it. Let them simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, transfer into cold water and then squeeze one by one.
This squeezing part might take a long time, but if you are passionate enough, you’ll see it is worth.
Making Unripe Fig Jam
Meanwhile you can start to boil water (1100 ml) and sugar (1 kilo) together in a different pot. After it boils, add the squeezed figs in it.
You will see that these figs turn back into their original shape in this boiling syrup. Put the cloves with the figs to give this jam an outstanding flavor. Let them simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Finally, add lemon juice and boil it 5 minutes more.
Storage
Let the unripe fig jam cool completely and fill it in jars. First put the figs into jars and then pour the syrup over each jar, trying to share it evenly.
You can keep the jars at room temperature, at a dry and dark place. We love it cold, so we keep it in refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
This unripe fig jam makes a wonderful breakfast on toasted bread.
You can serve it with some walnuts and clotted cream or dondurma (Turkish ice cream) on the side.
More Fig Recipes
More Sweet Recipes
- Turkish Baklava
- Ayva Tatlisi (Quince Dessert)
- Turkish Pumpkin Dessert
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📖 Recipe
Unripe Fig Jam
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kilo figs unripe
- 1 kilo sugar
- 1100 ml water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon cloves
INSTRUCTIONS
- Clean the figs and take off their stems.
- Put the figs in boiling water for 10 minutes. After that, move them to cold water. When they're cool, squeeze them to get rid of the bitter taste. If you want, make small holes in the figs before squeezing. This can make squeezing easier.
- Do this again: Boil the figs for 10 minutes, then move to cold water and squeeze each one.
- Squeezing takes time, but it's worth it. Next, boil water (1100 ml) with sugar (1 kilo) in another pot. When it's boiling, add the squeezed figs.
- The figs will look normal in this sweet boiling water. Add cloves for extra taste. Let them boil for 25-30 minutes. Then add lemon juice and boil 5 more minutes. Let the fig jam cool.
- Put the figs in jars and pour the sweet water over them.
- Store the jars in a cool, dark place. We like the jam cold, so we put it in the fridge.
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Zerrin says
Natasha- Thank you so much! I saw her photographs, she is so little and cute.
Oyster- Believe or not, I started to imagine the joyful times we'll have together as she grows. Maybe I'll be her secret keeper in the future. Who knows?
Daily Spud- It's every time so exciting, isn't it?
As for the lady, she will probably be surprised when she sees the jam. Then she may decide to share more recipes with me:) Such ladies at the open market always know a lot about cooking.
Lauren- Thank you so much, I'm still excited! Fig is one of my favorite fruits. I think it needs hot climate to grow up.
Jen- Thanks for sharing that tradition of yours. Chocolate cigar is a great idea! Not the real one, but a chocolate version, much healthier. Blue and pink have the same meaning here. Department stores sell blue clothes for boys and pink for girls. But I really don't understand this, and I'm totally against deciding the colors for babies.
Elra- Thank you. If you are open to new tases, you should absolutely try this jam. It has a unique taste, so different from regular jams.
Nihal- Bu incir reçelini ben de çok seviyorum ve ilk denememde hiç de fena birsonuç elde etmedim. Bu reçeli ben kahvaltıda değil de tatlı olarak her an tüketebilirim:) Hala olmak gerçekten çok güzel bir duyguymuş, hala çok heyecanlıyım. O küçük sevimli şeyi görmeye sabırsızlanıyorum.
Sophie- Glad you love it. If you can find figs, you should try it.
Vanessa- My brother's already started to change! He's become more emotional. And I'll see how more he will change as she grows.
Hillary- Believe or not, I'm still excited and I'm looking forward to seeing her. Just her photos make me so happy.
Gera- We have similar traditions then. Here new moms and dads serve their guests something sweet, in your country you take something sweet.
Gstoanthropologist- How lucky you are to have a fig tree in your aunt's garden. You can use them both unripe and ripe. I hope you love the jam when you try.
Tangled- Thank you so much! She is the sweetest thing I've seen.
You have the dried figs now, so you know what to do with them, don't you? And I hope that lady loves these figs when I take her some.
Lisa- Thank you so much!
lisaiscooking says
Congratulations on the arrival of your niece! The figs look fantastic too!
Tangled Noodle says
Congratulations to you on becoming an auntie and to you brother and his wife on becoming happy parents to a precious little girl! What a lovely way to celebrate - a sweet treat for a sweet event.
Although I'm not hopeful that I could find unripe figs here (I do, however, now have some dried figs!), this recipe is so nice; it does appear to be time-consuming but as you point out, the end result is well worth the effort. It was kind of the woman at the market to give you a recipe but even more kind for you to want to return with the results. She can taste for herself how wonderful her figs and her recipe turned out!
Gera @ SweetsFoods says
Hooray for you for becoming an aunt!!
I’ve the same tradition about a birth, I must take something sweet to the happy new mom/dad 🙂
I’ve few figs here so is difficult to make fig jams but when I’ve a possibility, I’ll try it out..hope will be like yours with this recipe!
Cheers and have a great week!
Gera
Hillary says
This is very different. I love the way you described waiting for your niece's birth. I felt exactly the same way when my first niece was born 3 years ago and I was just as excited with my second niece 🙂
vanessa says
Yeah!!! Congrats! There is nothing like a little girl to change a father, they just melt!
Sophie says
Congrats on being an aunt!
I bet this unripe fig jam tastes lovely & apart!
Great idea!
gastroanthropologist says
I have never seen anything like this! My aunt (congrats by the way) has a fig tree back at home in California. I'll bookmark this for when I move back - there is always so many figs...if we can get to some of the unripened ones then we won't be stressed with what to do when they all ripen!
Turkish Food Passion says
Zerrin, ne kadar marifetlisin! Hic incir receli yapmadim, ama tadi gercekten de guzel. Geleneklerimizi aciklama seklini de cok sevdim. Ellerine saglik! Ayrica hala oldugun icin de tebrikler! Ne guzel. 🙂
elra says
Wow, congratulation on becoming an aunt! It will really exiting to see your niece grows....
Unripe Fig Jam sounds so tempting. I have Fig tree in my backyard, and it is fruiting. Maybe I can give this recipe a try. Delicious!
Jen of a2eatwrite says
Congratulations! This looks like a lovely treat, but I wouldn't be able to find unripe figs here, although figs are among my favorite foods.
In the U.S. we used to have a tradition of men giving out cigars, but now they tend to be chocolate cigars. I think this is a tradition that maybe isn't done anymore. One tradition we do have, though, is to put a sign out at the home of the new parents - pink for girls, blue for boys.
Lauren says
congrats on becoming an aunt!!!
this recipe looks fantastic!! I love love love figs.... they are pretty much my favorite food on earth. Unfortunately the slimate here isn't right for them, so they can be hard to find.
Daily Spud says
I remember the excitement I felt the first time I became an aunt (and the second and the third and... - yes, I have a lot of nieces and nephews 🙂 ).
If I thought I could get unripe figs, I'd give the jam a go, but unfortunately unripe figs aren't too common around here. It was lovely to hear, though, that the recipe from the lady at the market turned out so well and that you'll be bringing her some of the jam next time you visit.
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie says
Congratulations on becoming an aunt! How exciting! The unripe fig jam looks very unique!
jagdish says
very good idea of using the unripen figs. i like it.
Zerrin says
Thank you 🙂
OysterCulture says
Zerrin, congratulations on being an auntie. I know I was so excited when I first became in auntie I jumped in the car and was at the hospital about 4 hours later. Your niece is so lucky, I am sure the two of you will have so much fun getting acquainted.
We have similar traditions in the states, where, typically the father brings something into work, sometimes fake cigars to pass around to announce the arrival of the newest family member.
Figs are starting to come out in the markets, and I love the unripe fig jam, I may have to try my hand at making some.