Hermann: Are your trees in the ground or in containers? I have about 60 trees in 5-8 gallon containers & had enough to make my first fig jam this year. Nothing could be easier. I destemmed, put in the cuisinart (food processor) then brought to a boil with a touch of sugar & a half cup of lemon. Everyone I offer fresh fig jam to is kinda shocked since almost no one here in Wisconsin has heard of such a thing.

For fig preserves, I don't chop them up or peel them (except for my daughter, who wants jam from figs peeled and chopped). I put them in a stainless steel pan with enough water to cover them and cook them for 15-20 minutes, then drain the water off and set the figs to one side (remove stems before this initial cooking). Combine sugar with lemon juice (a little less than 1/2 cup sugar/cup of figs--or add lemon juice about 15 minute befor figs are done)along with a little water, heat stirring constantly. Add figs. Cook until clear (sometimes I take the figs out and cook the syrup down some more, then add figs back). Pack into hot jars. Place into boiling water bath 10 minutes. Hot biscuits with butter and a jar won't last long at all.

Figs are high on the pH scale (4.9 to 5.1) so you must, must, must use lemon juice to bring the pH down below 4.6 to have safely canned "Fig Preserves (Jam)" for long term pantry storage or you risk developing botulism toxins in the sealed jars. You could also use vinegar but that throws the taste off considerably, though a different recipe for "Pickled Figs" would include it. Adding vanilla extract changes the flavor, not the pH. Here's my recipe for Fig Preserves (Jam): Nancedar's Fig Preserves 2 pounds of freshly picked and washed figs that have had the stem removed and the little flower dot (contains enzymes that inhibit forming a gel), and cut in half or fourths = about 4C prepared. 1/2 C bottled lemon juice, or astringent lemons (not Meyer) 3/4 C water 7 C granulated sugar Put the figs, lemon juice and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add sugar and return to a full boil. Stir in 1 pouch Certo liquid pectin. Count 1 minute after full boil has returned. Put in 8 half-pint jars filling to 1/4" below rim. Wipe rims and jar threads with a damp paper towel. Apply lids and bands, tightening to just finger-tight. Put in a water bath canner so that there is 1 to 2 inches of boiling water covering the tops of the jars as you put them all in, and cover with a lid. Count 10 minutes after water returns to a roiling boil. Remove jars, put on rack or towels to cool, leaving them undisturbed for 24 hours out of drafts. Label the lid with its name and date. I have tried several recipes for "Pickled Figs" and have not liked any of them. Figs are sweet and adding vinegar to them alters the flavor to a taste that I don't care for, though you might like it. Since you have an abundance of fruit, it would be easy enough to try. I'd recommend "The Joy Of Pickling" by Linda Ziedrich, highly admired preserver, whose delicious recipes are trusted by beginner and master preservers alike. She also is the author of "The Joy of Jam, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves". I do like "Whole Preserved Figs" that take a little time to prepare before sealing and put in a boiling water bath. It involves steeping the whole figs, with stem, overnight with sugar, a thinly sliced lemon and juice from another lemon or from bottled juice, and optionally a piece of thinly sliced fresh ginger. Then a small amount of water is added to the pot and gently heated for an hour and a half until the figs are translucent but still retain their shape. These are luxurious. If you are looking for help in canning - visit the Garden Web's Harvest Forum. That's where the preservers mostly hang out. Good luck and let us know what and how you "put up" your figs. Nancy

Funny - I was just thinking about this over the weekend - planning what and how much we should can this year. I made some elderberry-port wine jelly and it makes a great sauce for meat. Melt some, add some broth, thicken and serve with grilled steaks or filets (we eat a lot of venison and this flavor goes wonderfully with that). It would be good on pork, too. I've started putting up most things "plain" - beets, tomatoes, peaches, cherries, etc. so I can tweak them however I want when I open the jar. Instead of jam, I make fruit chutneys instead. Rhubarb, gooseberry, cranberry and plum so far. DH loves them with meat or on a sandwich, and if I get my once-in-a-blue-moon craving for a PB&J, I just use one of the sweeter chutneys. They work for both sweet and savory. Great with a fruit and cheese plate, too, which we have for dessert a lot in the summer. I still make some jellies and jams, but mostly for gifts, so I make small 4 oz. jars, which everyone loves for Christmas. I finally used up the applesauce from last year. We don't eat it by itself, so I use it in quick breads (any that call for a cup of vegetable oil, I substitute 1/2 cup of applesauce for 1/2 of the oil).