our fig tree

Believe it or not figs actually grow in London.
Here's a heaped bowl of our garden figs, totally organic and local...no air miles! Handsome Betty has made up some lovely fig jam. Read the recipe below and try it yourself!
You too can send in some recipes to share or pop by the shop to pick up some figs. The crop is pretty much at it's end but up top there are still some sweet ones left! Handsome Betty will be at the Beautiful Interiors Craft Market on Saturday the 22nd of September. Lots of lovely cakes and who knows maybe she'll share some of her fab Walthamstow fig jam!

"This recipe was handed down to me by a good friend in Lisbon, Portugal. He's lucky enough to have a garden with a few "Pingo de mel" fig trees like in Penny's shop garden which
translated mean honey drop.They're really sweet and true to their name and great for sweet or savory dishes. I asked him if I could share this recipe and he replied: Good things are meant to be handed around!
His gran's from the Algarve, a hub of fig production and a basic ingredient in Southern Portuguese confectionery. She was making this recipe with her own mum when she was a small girl and still makes it every August to fill up her larder."
You'll need:
2 Kilos of golden figs (washed but not peeled.Use figs that are not over ripe,the ripper the less natural pectin there is and that thickens and binds it all together)
1.5 Kilos sugar
1 stick of cinnamon
100g dried apricots
*for some extra flavor add a vanilla pop halved
Wash figs but do not peel just cut off the stalk. Tear figs with your hands into a large pot. No need to add water as the fig juices should slowly release and be enough. Place over a low heat and they should themselves start to disintegrate into a mushy consistency. This should take about 10/15 minutes or so. Remove from heat add the cinnamon,dried apricots,vanilla if you're using it and half the sugar. Cover pot with lid and leave over night or for at least 8 hours. When you go back to making the jam add the rest of the sugar and gently boil for 1 hour.
At this point,half way through, I usually blend it with a hand blender just because I prefer to smooth out the dried apricots and it makes it that bit thicker as it gives it some body but if you prefer a chunky jam pre slice your apricots into smaller bite size pieces. Return to a low heat and cook for another half hour to an hour or until it's thick and leaves trace on the back of a spoon. Place in pre sterilized jam jars and seal. Best enjoyed on long winter nights when summer seems a world away.
Enjoy!
Kind regards,
Handsome Betty
www.handsomebetty.blogspot.com