Fig Jam

Having a sweet tooth simply means, it is a daily struggle to keep your hands mouth away from anything and everything that has sugar = these days anything that is processed. Even products that are sold as savory or healthy options have sugar in them. Think Fat Free means Sugar Full :) Store bought jams and jellies for morning breakfast means you are consuming 4-5 tsp of sugar right in the morning. Fruits are good but store bought jams and jellies, I am not so sure. I'd rather save the sugar for savoring some dessert later in the day. Homemade jams/jellies gives you the option to control the sugar and what else goes into it.

Should I grow Fig Trees?
Having fruit trees at home gives you the option to have fresh fruit right away :) If you live in a tropical, semi tropical or an area where you do not get sub zero temperatures, there is no excuse not to grow them. They are no fuss and do very well with fairly minimal maintenance. We get freezing temperatures in the winter, early morning frost and copious amounts of snow some years but even in these conditions figs do very well for instance near a south facing wall. The wall gives protection and some warmth. In much colder places they can be grown in containers which can be brought indoors during the cold months. Your local extension might have advice on how and where to grow and what varieites. Here is a link to what grows best in for us in Maryland.

End of August is when we start harvesting figs. This year the first fall frost was 2 weeks late so we enjoyed figs for a bit longer. If you are hard pressed for time to do anything with them, you can always eat them fresh and freeze the excess for use in smoothies. With the season extended I got some time to savor the figs and make some jams. Just 3 ingredients and I have resorted to cooking jams/jellies in an Instant Pot and that makes it even more easier to do.

it is just as easy on the stove top and should take the same amount of time or lesser. I use an Instant Pot because the saute mode provides constant heat and there is no danger of burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. I have added far less sugar than the usual jelly recipes call for. Usually the ratio of fruit to sugar 2:1. That is a lot of sugar for a fruit like fig which is itself extremely sweet when ripe. All I needed was 1/4 cup of sugar for 2 cups of figs. So adjust for your needs accordingly.

Get the ingredient for the fig jam ready. Chop the figs.
Transfer the figs, sugar and lime juice and gently mash.
Cook the figs mixture till the liquid evaporates and the jam coats the back of the spoon.
Transfer to sterlized containers.

Fig Jam
Preparation Time:5 minutes
Cooking Time:15-20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 cups of figs (about 15-20)
2. 1/4 cup of raw sugar
3. 2 tbsp of lemon/lime juice

Method

1. Wash and pat dry the figs, remove the top step and cut the fig into smaller pieces.
2. Transfer the cut figs into a saute pan if cooking on stove top or instant pot, mix in the sugar and lemon juice into the cut figs and gently mash with a potato masher.
3. Place the saute pan on the stove or if using Instant Pot set it to cook in saute mode.
4. Stir continuously till the liquid almost evaporates and the jam coats the back of the spoon. Do a water test, take a small plate with some water in it. Add a small bit of the jam on to the water and if it does not dissolve the jam is ready.
5. Transfer to a sterilzed glass jar once the jam is coolerd down to room temperature.

Jam is ready for toasts or to sppon over ice cream and enjoyed. Like what you are reading? Subscribe!

Frozen Bananas Chocolate Ice Cream

Try as you might, you always end up having over ripe bananas. They are great in smoothies or banana bread. I started freezing them whole with the skin and all to be used up for a banana bread 2 months later. I can thaw them and remove the skin and then use it in the bread. For use in ice creams though, it is better to peel and slice and then freeze. It comes in handy in the summer months when you crave for frozen treats but want to skip the store bought ice cream with all its additives and heavy cream.

This is absolutely a 3-4 ingredient recipe. I made my own condensed milk by reducing the milk and adding only the required amount of sugar or you can skip the sugar and add none at all as the ripe bananas are pretty sweet by themselves.

Recipe in pictures below. Very quick and easy, you can use store bought condensed milk for even faster results. Replace with almond milk for a vegan version

In a sauce pan, boil the milk till it thickens, once thickened add the cocoa powder, sugar and mix it well and turn off the heat.
Pour in a container and set in the fridge to chill. Take the frozen bananas in a blender and blend to smooth.
Add the chilled condensed milk and mix it well in the blender.
Pour the banana - milk mixture into a freezing tray and let it freeze for 2-4 hours and then serve.

A guilt free treat when you feel like it.

Frozen Bananas Chocolate Ice Cream
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Condensed Milk Cooking Time:30-45 minutes
Ingredients

1. 4 frozen bananas
2. 1 cup of whole milk reduced to 1/3 or (1/3 cup of store bought condensed milk)
3. For Vegan: Use 1/3 cup of almond milk or any milk of choice
4. 1 tbsp cocoa powder
5. 2 tbsp of sugar (skip the sugar if using store bought condensed milk)

Method

1. If making your own condensed milk, take the whole milk and keep cooking till it reduces to a third, keep stirring so it does not stick.
2. Add the cocoa powder to the thickened milk. Mix the cocoa in some hot milk prevents lumps. Remove and chill.
3. Take the frozen banana in a blender and blend to smooth, now add the cocoa condensed milk and mix it into the banana puree.
4. Pour into a tray and freeze for 3-4 hours and then serve.

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