It’s about mid-season for main crop of figs here (it started about July 20), and we’re already tired of them. I harvest about 10-15 pounds every day, we eat them, dry them (a lot), made some jam (but my wife is against cooking with sugar, so it’s not a preferred option), and freeze some in vacuum bags (but the freezer is already full with frozen plums, peaches and nectarines). Any interesting ideas on how to process figs without using sugar and not too much time and effort? Can you make fruit leather with figs?
5 Likes
Sell them to neighbors and coworkers 
Dealing with people is too time consuming. BTW, have not seen a coworker in 5 months, except via a video-call.
1 Like
You can cut the tree up and send me some cuttings, 
, so that it doesn’t fruit so much
2 Likes
I made jam using baking splenda with zero sugar. It feels and tastes exactly like jam made with sugar and is zero added calories from sugar. You might have to add a bunch more pectin.
3 Likes
I use the very ripe figs to make “everything jam”, mixing with other leftover fruits like plums, peaches, grapes etc.
Using the hand blender after boiling, the figs thicken and sweeten the mix. I added very little sugar if needed, and no thickener. My neighbors and relatives like them very much.
2 Likes
I feed them to my chickens. They love them.
You could put some in a shoebox and send them to me! 
I have seen a few people making pizza and putting some sliced figs!
1 Like
Stan, I don’t grow figs so haven’t added them to fruit leather. I don’t see why they wouldn’t work though. You might like to try some blends with your plums and peaches, that would be tasty! I use a mix of whatever fruits I have and haven’t ever had a complaint!
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/fruit_leathers.html
3 Likes
Just a note about sweetener: After a scary incident, I think I am allergic to it. My daughter doesn’t like it because the sweetness stays too long after eating/drinking.
3 Likes
Figs are sweet enough, so I add sugar (very little) to a jam solely to help with preservation. From what I read, splenda, unlike normal sugar, does not help with preserving a jam, so I decided it would be useless for me.
4 Likes
Since I posted, I actually experimented with making a fig fruit leather, made one tray. It turned out ok.
4 Likes
My kids had asthma when they were little so I never use sweetener. We don’t buy anything labeled “no sugar added” without reading the ingredients. My daughter tasted those while eating out with friends when she was older. They have been free of asthma for a long time.
Sugar or fruits are not bad in reasonable amount. My husband’s family have problem with diabetes so they use sweetener, that was how I got in trouble one time. Now I ask him to limit the number of fruits he eat each time to one or two for snacks. He can eat whatever he wants after a real meal, including ice cream or cheesecake, and his sugar level is back to normal.
1 Like
Some info about Splenda.
Is Splenda bad for you? It's not nutritious and may cause weight gain.
I don’t use artificial sweetener as substitutes because in a long run, most turn out to be unhealthy to our body. As long as people know about their pros and cons, they can make informed decisions to use or not use them.
4 Likes
I love fig whole preserves in jars. you need sugar for preserving. But since they are jared whole you could dump off the sugar water and wash some of the sugar off when you open them to eat, to cut back on sugar.
2 Likes
Do you have a recipe? Also, can you use less sugar for keeping jars in the fridge? I don’t have patience for the canning process, so all my jams are stored in the fridge.
1 Like
I will see what I can get you. My mom’s people always jared them with lots of sugar and they lasted for decades, we still have a dozen + pints from 13 years ago that are delicious! My dad’s mom always used much much less sugar and hers only lasted a couple years but were great and of course you could get by with even less sugar in the refrigerator.
I will see about getting you a recipe.
1 Like
When I was a kid, my grandfather canned sweet cherries in light syrup, which were unbelievably good. Unfortunately, he passed away a long time ago.
3 Likes
What a blessing! I sure miss my grandparents on both sides and things like that are special memories!
This is the recipe from my mom’s grandma that used a lot of sugar, she was a busy farm lady and passed away in 2012 at age 89.
This is perhaps a more helpful recipe in mom’s cook book, I like the sound of what it says:
It refers back to this page for the light syrup to boil the figs in:
I love whole jarred figs about the best of any fruit in jars!
The pictures are not right side up, but perhaps you can download them and flip them upright.
1 Like
Thank you! I’m going to try making figs in light syrup.
1 Like