How To Make Fig Jam 2 Ways & Picking Up Figs

 We are making fig jam. I began picking up the figs from Trabzon city. And traveling a thousand kilometers back home to Istanbul, with the traditional recipe I got from my relatives. I will show you how to cook fig jam in two ways. As a whole and as a marmalade. You will also learn the trick to pick up figs. And how different, it can taste depending on where it grows. So let's begin. We are in Akçaabat-Trabzon, my husband's hometown. It's the last day in Akçaabat. We have My husband's relatives will give us figs, on the way back home, to make fig jam. It still has a couple of days until it is done, and this is done. This is Aronya. They say it's good for health. So they are trying to grow it here. Local cucumbers, it's special in this region. So this is the one, we picked up from this tree. And these are different. These are perfect for making a fig jam. So we'll see. Now dear Celal abi continues to pick up figs, from the same tree, we filmed. He was very comfortable and fast while doing it. So especially the Celal abi wanted me to eat this one. It is different than this he says. It looks the same to me, but let me try. Piece of heaven. So I got my figs. I got the recipe, and when we return back home, hopefully, we gonna make it. We traveled a thousand kilometers way back home. And for about 18 hours including the traffic in Istanbul. Even though we transferred the figs into a big bucket. This was how they looked, after the trip. It was very hot. A thousand kilometers shaking on the road, on top of each other. First I thought most of them were bad. But the inside, was still very good since they are not ripened all the way. But I didn't have much time left. So I had to begin quickly to make the jam. First I washed them thoroughly in the water. I want to make a note, that I was very tired, because of the trip. But still wanted to make it. In the sake of figs. Picking up all the way from the Trabzon and it's a blessing too. As a second step, I begin to peel the figs. You can keep it like this. But originally, it is better to peel them. It gives a lighter color in the final look of the gem. If the figs are already ripened, you can gently scrape down, as you can see. And I continue to peel them like this. Okay, next to the sugar. For 1 kilogram of figs, add 1 kilogram of granulated sugar. In this case, it was about 3 and a half kilograms. And to that, I added about 800 milliliters of water. For one kilogram, you can think of I didn't let them sit in the sugar. But if yours are more firm, you can wait for about And I begin to cook on medium-low heat. Make sure you use the biggest pan available. Because it can easily boil over. And after a time, I collected the foam parts on top. And didn't use it. As you can see, over time it begins to darken, a nice caramel, a brown color. And to flavor the jam a bit more, I added some rose geranium leaves. It is optional but, traditionally we do use it. And it really goes well and makes it to another level. So I cooked my fig jam, for more than an hour. And make sure to check inside, if it's fully cooked, with the syrup together. After this stage, I cooked for 10 more minutes. And then add the lemon juice. I added about one big size lemon. Juice of a lemon. And about 2 to 3 pieces of citric acid. It is optional, but sometimes the lemons we use here, are not that powerful. So I prefer to add it. So it doesn't crystallize. Cooked for 5 more minutes. And it is done. You can check the consistency by cooling down, a small amount. And these are the ones, that are more ripened. But I want to give it a try and make a marmalade with it. So I cut them into four. Since they were ripened, they didn't have much skin on them. I just washed them, by scrubbing a little bit. And add half a cup of water and one kilogram of sugar. And this is the next morning. I was able to rest finally. Happy with the result. I just heated up the jam, one more time, before transferring it to my jars. Of course, I kept some for the breakfast. And this is the marmalade. It was really much easier to make. You can also make it this way. It smells and tastes delicious. So it's time to taste. This is special famous Trabzon bread from Vakfıkebir district. We also got it freshly, on our way back home. Just spread some butter on top and the fig jam. And this is the consistency of the marmalade. Both were delicious. It is easier to serve the marmalade in small portions. But they taste the same. I really enjoyed filming the recipe, beginning from picking up the figs, until the end. I hope you feel the same.