It isn't always the case that it's simply undissolved or recrystallized sugar. If you taste one of the grains.. If it's really sweet, it's sugar. If it isn't and can even be very bitter, it's undissolved pectin that has gelled to itself like a grain of chia. There are instanced of pectin that require calcium not dissolving in the presence of too much sugar, too quickly in the recipe. Lower sugar pectins suffer from this problem. I discovered and looked into it a lot when a regular sugar jelly we make had a grainy and liquidy, despite being the exact same recipe. Reboiling (in this instance) at a very high heat for a few minutes helped a lot, but didn't really fix it entirely. The solution is to dissolve the pectin into any other low sugar liquids along with the fruit, before adding the sugar. Just another one of many things it can be I guess. :)

The boiling water process is very necessary for the safety of jams and jelly. It helps to kill off any bacteria that may be left in a jar, or lid. The lids are never boiled prior to placing on the hot filled jars, so they could carry a possible bad thing if they were not heat treated by the boiling water batch. The amount of sugar and REGULAR pectin is VERY critical and can cause a poor set if the sugar isn't sufficient enough or the pectin isnt enough or is too old. I would suggest using the Pomona pectin as its much more stable, and can give very reliable results without any concern about the sugar. Its especially useful for those who have never made jellies or jams before, and need 100% positive results. The lemon juice mentioned, doesn't state the amount either, so there, you could add enough to taste. With pleanty of added acid like BOTTLED lemon juice or citric acid, the product can usually keep for well over a month in the fridge, once opened. If you have a lot more figs than the 4 cups, you could also make a larger batch with Pomona pectin as it will set with the added calcium as opposed to sugar. LOTS of sugar in a jelly or jam will help keep it from spoiling once its opened and refrigerated. Figs, usuaully have a lot of natural sugar, so they are needing an acid to enhance their flavor as well as safety. The canning jar size would be 8 ounce. I use pints for my stuff when using Pomona and have put up about 15 pints of jelly using a whole box of the Pomona pectin. I use a 10 minute BWB for pints. Fig jam is quite simple, and you have found a decent and basic recipe. For me, it would be some fig squares I would make from my brown turkey figs. This year, all my figs were lost due to my long stay in the hospital, and the tree getting too dry in its big pot.

I made pineapple jam not too long ago. one pineapple, and one deseeded brain strain, 3 tablespoons of no sugar needed pectin, and 3.5 cups of sugar. I put the pineapple and the brain strain in the blender together, blended until fine, then boiled it up without straining it out. I got 6 half pint jars out of it, at the perfect level of heat to burn up my family, and not have me too bored. it would probably go great on a pork tenderloin too. I'm already down to one jar, everyone loved it, and insisted on getting one for christmas.

I've made this. It's safe for canning. Originally I posted this on Harvest. "Here's a recipe for a red onion relish you might try. There's no reason why white onions couldn't also be used. For a lighter relish you could try a dry white wine and white balsamic vinegar or just use wine vinegar and increase the sugar, if needed." Caramelized Red Onion Relish Categories : Canning & Preserving Pickles and Relishes Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 large red onions -- peeled 1/4 cup brown sugar -- firmly packed 1 cup dry red wine 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Slice onions very thinly. Combine onions and sugar in a heavy skillet (non-acidic). Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 25 minutes or until onions turn golden and start to caramelized, stirring frequently. Stir in wine and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sppon into a clean wide-mouth jar and cool briefly. Remove hot jars from canner and ladle relish into jars to within 1/2-inch of rim. Process 10 minutes for half-pint jars. (BWB) from "Small-Batch preserving" Yield: 2 cups Carol