Apple Fig Blueberry Jam

More fruit processing required in our household.  I would say we're half way thru the apple season and now the figs have really kicked in.  So today, I decided to make a jam using our apples and figs.

I was researching some jam recipes on the internet and came upon an interesting method from Stephanie Rosenbaum. Instead of boiling the fruit/sugar mixture immediately, she let's the whole thing sit at room temperature for a couple of hours, after which you'll have a bunch of fruit sitting in syrupy fruit juice.  Then you pour off the liquid and boil that down before proceeding with the rest of the normal jamming procedure. The idea is to avoid overcooking the poor fruit till it's lost its fresh flavor.

This method is especially useful if you are using less sugar and no pectin.  Sugar and pectin help to set the jam, so with less of them, you need to find other ways to help thicken the jam.

Mission figs, which is the variety we grow, lend a beautiful, rich, claret color to the jam.

I also happened to have a few handfuls of blueberries in the frig, so I threw them in as well : )


Apple Fig Blueberry Jam

Makes about four 8oz jars

Combine the following in a large, non-reactive bowl:
1 lbs stemmed, quartered figs
1 lbs peeled, cored, finely chopped apples
1/4 lb blueberries
1 lb sugar
2 tbs fresh lemon juice

Let sit for 2-3 hours at room temperature or 6-8 hours in the refrigerator to extract the liquid from the fruit.

Pour the syrupy liquid into a non-reactive, heavy bottom stockpot and boil it down until about half of the original amount.  Add the macerated fruit into the stockpot and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook until fruit is soft and broken down, approx. 15-20 min.  Stir frequently to prevent the bottom from scorching.  If you like a less chunky jam, you can use a potato masher to smooth it out.

Ladle hot jam into hot, sterilized jars (washing jars in a dishwasher works).  Store jars of jam in refrigerator. Or you can can the jam.  PickYourOwn.org offers friendly, detailed information on the safest ways to can almost anything.

Notes:
Although many recipes for jam recommend making smaller batches for better set, I cooked a double batch of this recipe and the jam still set very nicely.