Fig jelly is a type of fig preserves made with fresh fig juice. The clear, smooth texture of fig jelly makes it ideal for spreading on a variety of foods. Because it doesn’t include the whole fruit, fig jelly, like other jellies, has less nutritional value than other jellies, but the even texture makes it easier to work with. Fig jelly is available in some stores, and it can also be made at home in areas where fresh figs are available.
Fig jelly is made by cooking figs with sugar and water until they soften, then straining the mixture through cheesecloth to remove as many particles as possible, as with other jellies. The liquid that results can be used to make jelly, while the solids that remain can be used to make jam, chutney, and other preserves. Fig jelly can come in a variety of colors, depending on the type of figs used. It can be green, red, or brown.
Pectin, a naturally occurring substance in fruits, is the ingredient that causes jellies and jams to firm up. Because much of the natural pectin is left in the solids when making jelly, simply canning the liquid will result in canned liquid. After reheating the liquid, cooks must add pectin and can the freshly re-heated fig liquid in sterile jars, where it will slowly set to form jelly.
Canning is a difficult task. If the jars are not sterile or properly sealed, they can become breeding grounds for bacteria, making the food inside unsafe. Because of a peculiar odor or color, spoiled canned goods are sometimes easy to spot. In other cases, the food may appear to be perfectly safe but is actually quite harmful. Botulism-affected food, for example, is virtually indistinguishable from regular canned goods.
Cooks must use a canning bath to keep the canning jars in boiling water while making fig jelly, and the jelly mixture must also be brought to a boil to kill bacteria before being poured into hot jars and sealed. The seal will invert slightly if it “takes.” Lids that have been improperly sealed will expand, so these jars must be emptied, resterilized, and resealed with freshly heated fig jelly.