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.
Storing
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
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.
Melissa Dillon says
Hi! I'm wondering if I could can these, so they can sit on a shelf in the garage/pantry. Have you tried that?
Tim says
I've just tried this recipe but the figs are still pretty hard and taste earthy? Maybe they will mellow in the jars?
I followed the instructions to the letter. Maybe mine were too small and hard to start with?
Anita Dunne says
I use a potato masher!
Trish says
Hi I've just made this recipe and wondered if you removed the skins in the first photos above? Also, how long does it keep for? Thanks!
Zerrin says
Hi Trish! I didn't remove their skins, just cooked them as they were. You can keep them for several months in tightly closed jars. If you open a jar but couldn't finish it, you'd better store it in the refrigerator.
Pinny says
Do you put it warm into jars and how long does it keep
Margaret Myers says
How do you smash the figs without them splitting open?
Zerrin says
They don't split easily when you squeeze them between your two fingers but it really doesn't matter if a few of them split. The result will be still satisfying.
Lenja says
MY husband suggested squashing the figs between two breadboards. I did it in the sink. Worked beautifully. I have made this into fig compote for future desserts but we did try some tonight and it was delicious. I added lemon juice, and ginger pieces as well as the cloves.
Thank you for the recipoe.
Zerrin says
Hi Lenja,
I'm so glad you liked the recipe! Love the idea of breadboards for squashing the figs. Thanks for sharing it here! Also adding ginger pieces is such a great idea!
Lizelle says
Mine came out amazing...but I first left them overnight soaking in water with bicarb because they were very firm still. Then did the boiling the next day. Squeezed the water out. And then I added a slice of ginger, fresh lemon juice , cloves and a bit of cinnamon to the syrup from an old South African Recipe. The only thing...mine does not have the nice green colour. People add blue stone/copper sulphate but I did not want to do that. How did your figs keep their nice green colour?
Zerrin says
Glad you loved the recipe. Well, I don't use anything special for the green color. They are brighter when raw and lose their color when cooked but still green.
Constance says
I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and the result was great. I was astounded as I always wondering what to do with my figs which never ripe in the cold summer we endure.
I would like to ask a couple of questions:
1. for the syrup, I thought it was very watery so I added another 500g sugar. Could you please convert your 5.5 cups of water in litres? (I am in Europe and we do not use cups)
2. Could I re-use some of the leftover syrup for a new batch? I have more figs on the tree and we have already eaten one large jar and we have half the jar of leftover juice...
Thanks!
Lynn says
I'm definitely going to have to give this a try - I've got two (cold-hardy) fig trees (planted 1.5 years ago; in northern Maryland) loaded with unripe figs - and the temperatures are predicted to go well below freezing tomorrow night! Next year I'll trim the growing tips of the branches in early-mid September in hopes more will ripen on their own. In the meanwhile, I'm hoping this will allow me to salvage what they are bearing.
Does anyone have suggestions for how to can them (safely!) in a water bath so that they'll store well at room temperature? I'd love to give them as gifts. Two trees = lots of figs.
Stephannie says
I found it very hard to press the figs, I did allow them to boil for the 10 min but they were still firm and as a result the figs split. I am wondering if I should have boiled longer?
Lara says
Giving this a go today, looking forward to tasting the results!!
Zerrin says
Hope you love it Lara! Would love to hear your feedback when you taste it.
Anita Dunne says
The figs break up when I squeeze them but that doesn't matter! Because at the end of the jam making, I tip it all into a food processor and briefly pulse, to get a coarse chopped mixture. I also add a lemon to the pan with the figs, which gives a lovely flavour and texure to the preserve. It's absolutely delicious, and such a good way of using baby figs that would otherwise go on the compost heap.
Bruce says
I was very pleased to find this recipe. My wife and I thank you. I found that a hinge type citrus juicer, lemon sized worked very well to squeeze 3 figs at a time. For American's here are the measurements I used to adapt the recipe to have a light syrup for 3 quarts of Figs, 4.5 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar. I also added 3 Tablespoons of candied ginger. Yum!
Zerrin says
I'm glad that you and your wife loved my recipe! And thanks for sharing your measurements.
Osia says
Hi Zerrin,
So good to find you here....I was looking for a recipe for the green figs that I had to cut out of my Mission Fig Tree in my backyard because they were in the way of the fence painting! I grew up in Istanbul, and I have the fondest memories of the gypsy women sitting at a doorstep selling unripe green figs while they were peeling them with their wrapped hands so they would not get the itchy "milk" on their skin! They also sold rose petals for another amazing jam, but that's another story and recipe! So, I was really excited to find your blog and your recipe, and I decided to follow it to make the fig jam. It seemed nice and simple and doable. I think the jam turned out really good, even though I think I overcooked it since I was watching the Olympics at the same time, and there was not enough liquid at the end. I also left it to cool overnight as it was late enough, and it was pretty sticky to the pot as I tried to fill the jars. All in all, very good, though I have a question and a concern. As Lora mentioned (October 3, 2011) the figs fell apart as I was trying to squeeze them after boiling both times. I don't think it has affected the taste, but I would prefer to see them whole. I read another recipe where they soaked the figs overnight in a lime solution. Would that accomplish the same purpose without having to squeeze them out? Also, would it help if I peeled them like the gypsies did? Would they still need to be soaked or squeezed to get the bad taste out?
I know it has been a while since anybody wrote to you about this subject (and, by the way, congratulations on becoming an aunt more than a year ago now!), but it would be great to hear from you. I might try posting this comment on your Facebook page as well.
Tesekurler for everything! 🙂
Zerrin says
Hi Osia, I saw those gypsy women selling unripe figs and rose petals in istanbul a few years ago. In my city, nobody peels figs to make jam. They use them as they are. I don't have an idea why yours fell apart. Could it be because you overcooked them? I've heard jam recipes with lime solution such as tomato jam, aubergine jam, watermelon jam, so I'm sure we can soak figs in lime solution too. The function of lime here is to make the fruit harder and crispy, so they don't fall apart. I used lime solution once when making pumpkin dessert, you can find it here You might have tasted it in istanbul.