Aunt Ann's Pickled Figs

 I thought I had shared this lovely recipe before, but it looks like I have not. When Jerry's Aunt Ann Edwards passed, my mother in law ended up with her recipe box. going through it, I found this recipe to pickle figs. i just happened to have figs everywhere and was searching for something to do with them. I had tried making fig wine- it was awful and went down the drain! I made fig jam, but my jam eater, Jerry, did not care for it. So I tried a batch of pickles. They are really easy to make and very good. They are similar to a pickled peach and are very tasty and festive at the holidays. They go very well with ham and roasted pork or chicken.

Aunt Ann's Pickled Figs

3 quarts figs, ripe but firm (stem can be off or on)

Boiling water

Syrup:

1 cup water

6 cups sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon whole allspice

1 tablespoon whole cloves

2 sticks of cinnamon (4 inches each)

1. Cover the whole figs with enough boiling water to cover them. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Drain and discard water.

2. Put all the ingredients for the syrup together in a sauce pan big enough to hold it and the figs. Ann's recipe says to put all the spices in a cheese cloth bag in the syrup, but I just let them float loose and divide them among the jars when canning.

3. Bring the syrup and the figs to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Cover and let them sit in the pan and the syrup until the next day.

4. About the same time of day for 2 more days, bring the figs and syrup to a boil for 10 minutes. That makes 3 consecutive days to boil them.

5. On the third day, after boiling them, place the figs into sterile canning jars. Fill the jars with syrup, leaving 1/2 inch head room. Clean rims of jars. Place lids and rings on, hand tighten.

6. Process jars in a water bath that covers them, at least an inch above the tops. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes covered. Turn heat off, remove lid and wait 5 minutes. Remove from water bath and cool. Lids should pop if sealed. 

I usually get about 5-7 jelly jars per recipe.