Barossa Fig and Vanilla Jam

Barossa Valley fig and vanilla jam with lemon

Origin: Barossa Valley and Riverland, South Australia

From the journey of Fig.

The Barossa Valley, settled by German Lutheran immigrants from Silesia (Prussia) between 1838 and 1843, is best known to the world for its shiraz and cabernet sauvignon grapes — but the German settlers who planted those vines also planted fig trees in their orchard gardens, bringing cuttings from Europe and establishing a fig tradition in the sandy loam soils of the Valley that has persisted ever since. The South Australian Riverland, extending along the Murray River downstream from the Barossa, developed into Australia's principal fig-growing region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, producing Brown Turkey, Preston Prolific, and Adriatic figs alongside the citrus and stone fruit of its irrigated orchards. The domestic jam-making tradition of the Barossa is one of the most robust in Australia: farmhouse kitchens in the Valley have been boiling preserving pans of fig jam, quince paste, and apricot jam since the 1870s, and the tradition is sustained today by a strong producers' market culture and the Barossa's self-sufficient agricultural identity. The Barossa fig and vanilla jam is the most celebrated local variety: the vanilla pod's warm, floral sweetness lifts the dark intensity of the cooked fig and adds a complexity that distinguishes this jam from any straightforward fig spread. It is served on freshly baked white bread with butter, alongside aged Barossa semi-hard cheese, or as the filling in a jam sponge cake.

Ingredients

Figs

  • 1 kg ripe fresh figs, stems removed and roughly chopped (leave the skins on)

Sweetener

  • 700 g white jam sugar (with added pectin) or regular white sugar

Acid

  • 60 ml fresh lemon juice (from approximately 2 lemons)

Flavouring

  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped

Liquid

  • 60 ml water

Method

  1. Combine the chopped figs, sugar, lemon juice, and water in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed preserving pan or saucepan. Add the split vanilla bean and its scraped seeds. Stir well.
  2. Leave to macerate for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has begun to dissolve in the fig juices.
  3. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a rolling boil, stirring frequently. Once boiling, reduce to a steady but vigorous simmer.
  4. Cook at a vigorous simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring regularly, until the jam has thickened and darkened considerably.
  5. Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the vanilla bean pod. Using a potato masher or the back of a spoon, briefly mash the fig pieces to your preferred consistency: some people prefer a chunky jam with visible fig pieces; others prefer a smoother spread.
  6. Skim any foam from the surface. Ladle into warm, sterilised jars. Seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark place; the jam keeps for up to 12 months. Refrigerate once opened.

Notes

Fig jam is naturally low in pectin, which is why regular white sugar sometimes produces a looser set than jam sugar (which contains added pectin). If using regular white sugar and finding the jam too runny, add the juice of an additional lemon and cook for a further 10 minutes. The vanilla pod can be rinsed, dried, and used to scent a jar of caster sugar ('vanilla sugar') after its use in the jam. For a Barossa-style accompaniment, serve the jam on freshly baked Streuselkuchen (German crumb cake), a direct legacy of the Silesian settlers who planted the first Barossa fig trees.

The Gastrographer

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