Fig Jam and a DIY Project

The last batch of figs. I know, It's been all about figs lately but like I mention in my last post, we got very lucky with our tree this year and had lots and lots of juicy, sweet figs. I've been collecting figs these past days until I finally got one pound of them to make a jam. 

I made this very same recipe last year and everybody loved it. If figs were in season at Christmas time, I would totally give them out for gifts. Although, if properly canned, jam can keep for a few months but then again, it's too good, it wouldn't make it until then. 

One thing I love about this recipe is that it's not very sweet, and here is where I pay attention, I taste whatever fruit I want to turn into a jam, to see how sweet it is and that's how I decide how much sugar to use. Now,

the figs I used in this recipe were very sweet so I used 3/4 of sugar where I normally would have used 1 cup.

Play around and taste, taste, taste! Clove plays a nice role in this recipe, it leaves a nice aftertaste and makes it a great addition when used in a savory dish. 

Ingredients:

1 lb figs, washed and cut in half

3/4 cup sugar

The juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/8 cup red wine

1/4 teaspoon clove

A pinch of salt

In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients and let it macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes,

stirring occasionally. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens.

Here is my little secret, instead of using a potato masher to break down the figs, I use a hand blender, but be careful not to over blend. A food processor will work too. Fill glass jars with hot fig jam and enjoy.

I also made a little DIY project, how to distress wood to use as a photo backdrop. It's very easy, here is how it goes:

First, find a piece of wood you want to use, whatever sizes you want but if the wood you are using is painted,

you will need to sand it first. Strike the wood with the back of a hammer to create some dents, don't hit too hard we don't want to break the wood. By the way, this is a good way to take you anger out hehehe. 

Next, scratch the surface using a screwdriver or other pointy metal object you might have on hand. Using wood stain, pour some directly onto the wood and spread it all over using a rag. You can use a brush too.

Let it dry and give it a second coat or as many as you need to reach the desired darkness. That's it! that's exactly what I did and what I used for some of my photos. I hope you find this tutorial useful and please, feel free to share your opinion and give us some extra tips ;)