Fig and Lemon Camp Jam
Whole dried figs simmered down with sugar, lemon, and vanilla until they hold a spoon.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 91
- protein
- 2 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 300 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried figs | 1 lb | whole, stems trimmed; dried stands in for fresh so nothing spoils |
|---|---|---|
| Granulated sugar | 1 lb | equal weight to the figs |
| Lemon | 1 | juice and zest; a small bottle of juice works |
| Vanilla | 1 pod or 1 tsp extract | |
| Water | 300 ml |
Method
- Pour 300 ml of water over the figs in the pot and let them sit ten minutes. Dried fruit needs the head start that fresh figs do not.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice, zest, and split vanilla pod. Bring it to a boil over the stove, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Drop the heat as low as it goes. Simmer 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the sugar does not catch on the bottom.
- Test it: a spoonful on a cold lid should mound instead of running. If it runs, keep going in five-minute stretches.
- Pull the vanilla pod. Cool it in the pot before spooning it onto anything.
Fig preserves are a long, slow home project. On the trail the constraint is fuel, not time, so this version starts from dried figs and a measured 300 ml of water instead of fresh fruit that would spoil in a pack. The soak rehydrates the figs enough that they break down under a lid rather than needing an hour of simmering.
Equal weights of fruit and sugar is what makes the jam keep without a fridge. Sugar that high binds the water, so the finished pot sits on a picnic table for days. The lemon is not just flavor: the acid helps the set, which is why a low-sugar version comes out loose.
Packing
Weigh the figs and sugar into one bag at home. Vanilla and a small bottle of lemon juice ride in the same bag so the whole recipe is one thing you grab.
Variations
- Half the sugar and a squeeze more lemon gives a looser fruit sauce that goes on oats.
- A split cinnamon stick instead of vanilla, pulled at the end.
- Chop the figs before packing to cut simmer time by about ten minutes.
https://savoriurbane.com/dulceata-de-smochine