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Fresh figs, almonds and lemon combine in easy jam

Recipe: Fresh fig-almond jam with no added pectin

Beautiful ripe Kadota figs, combined with almonds and lemon, will become delicious jam.

Beautiful ripe Kadota figs, combined with almonds and lemon, will become delicious jam. Debbie Arrington

It’s fig season and, judging by local trees, this summer looks like a banner year.

Our neighbor generously invited me to pick as many of her Kadota figs (the yellow-green ones) as I wanted from her loaded tree. She didn’t have to ask twice. With their delicate flavor and amber hue, Kadota figs make wonderful jam and preserves without added pectin.

The secret ingredient? Patience. Let it simmer very low, barely bubbling, while stirring often.

Jam and two figs
A sample of French preserves inspired this jam.

Finely chopped almonds add extra texture, subtle flavor and a little crunch. The fig-almond combination was inspired by French preserves we sampled in Provence.

While you could skip the almonds, don’t bypass the lemon. The lemon juice helps the jam jell while also preserving the figs’ bright color; the lemon zest adds a little more zing to the final flavor, balancing its sweetness.

Like those preserves, this fig-almond jam is perfect with brie or other soft cheese as well as spread on toast or English muffins.

Fresh fig-almond jam

Makes 6 cups (half-pints)

Ingredients:

4 cups figs, chopped

1 lemon

½ cup water

3-1/2 cups sugar

¼ cup almonds, finely chopped

Instructions:

Put a small ceramic plate in the freezer. (You’ll use this to test the jam.)

Wash figs, remove stems and trim off flower ends. Roughly chop.

Place figs in a large heavy pot.

Zest and juice the lemon and add to the figs. Stir in water.

Over medium-high heat, bring fig mixture to a boil, stirring often.

Add sugar all at once; stir to dissolve. Bring mixture back to boil. Boil for 2 minutes.

Stir in almonds. Reduce heat to low.

Jam boiling in pot
Bring figs to a boil, then add the sugar all at once.

Simmer mixture uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often so mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot or scorch. Jam is ready when it mounds on a spoon. It will thicken more as it cools.

To test jam for doneness, put a teaspoonful of the hot liquid on that ice-cold plate and return plate to the freezer for 2 minutes. If the jam holds its shape and doesn’t run when the plate is turned sideways, it’s ready.

Ladle hot jam into sterilized jars and seal. Process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath, if desired.

Alternatively, jam may be stored in tightly sealed jars without processing in the refrigerator for up to 2 months, in the freezer for 1 year.

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 16

Take advantage of this nice weather. There’s plenty to do as your garden starts to switch into high gear for spring growth.

* This is the last chance to spray fruit trees before their buds open. Treat peach and nectarine trees with copper-based fungicide. Spray apricot trees at bud swell to prevent brown rot. Apply horticultural oil to control scale, mites and aphids on fruit trees.

* Check soil moisture before resuming irrigation. Most likely, your soil is still pretty damp.

* Feed spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials with slow-release fertilizer. Feed mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.

* Transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.

* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and cauliflower – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

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