Shortly after my fig tree provides me the last of its bounty for the year, I start seeing beautiful burgundy ornaments adorning some of the trees throughout the neighborhood. Only, these are not Christmas ornaments, but Pomegranates, a sign that the holidays are near. Each year I remind myself that I need to make friends with some of the lucky owners of these trees so I may be one of the lucky recipients of their hauls. Until then, I will settle for store bought. Fortunately, pomegranates are easily accessible at every turn from the local farmers' markets to Costco.

Given my tree provides a ridiculous amount of figs each year, I make a lot of jam, but have never paired figs and pomegranate seeds, per the recipe in America's Test Kitchen's "Foolproof Preserving". Reason: my fig tree is barren by the time the pomegranates make their arrival. This year I decided to freeze plenty of figs that I picked during the peak of the harvest, so I could pair the two for the first time. Having frozen 11 pounds of figs, I had to break out "Martha"--my trusty 15 quart Mauviel copper jam pot--to attack this project. Just like the Stewart variety of Martha, this one can handle a lot without breaking a sweat. When I first started making jams and sauces, I heard about the Mauviel jam pots, which come in three sizes, but thought paying a few hundred dollars for a pot was a frivolous and costly expense. But, after a couple years and way too many hours of canning up to hundreds of jars of small batches, since the standard dutch oven isn't good for doubling batches, I decided that the investment would also be buying me time back. I am pretty good at eventually rationalizing purchases of things I really want. For example, for this recipe, I was able to produce 7 batches in one shot. Other reasons copper jam pots are worth it for frequent canners: the temperature is better regulated because copper conducts heat very quickly, while also cooling very quickly, so you don't find yourself overcooking your fruit. As a result, the fruit will better keep their flavors. The last thing you want is to work hard on a batch of jam only to have it taste more like sugar than the fruit you are trying to preserve. Another advantage to a jam pot is its shape. With a large, flat base and a tapered wall, it enables faster evaporation of liquids, which again helps prevent overcooking as it is ready for jarring quicker, therefore retaining as much fruit flavor as possible.

Now that I got the benefits of a copper jam pot out of the way, here is the single batch recipe, which one should not double if using a standard sized Dutch oven. You may also use a non-stick skillet for this recipe.

1.5 pounds of fresh figs, stemmed and quartered

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice (I use Pom Wonderful or Bolthouse Farms)

2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice (think stuff in green bottle, not freshly squeezed lemons)

1 pinch of salt

1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds

First bring the figs, sugar, pom juice, lemon juice, and salt to a boil over medium-high. Be sure to stir often. Once the sugar is dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the mixture down to where you can drag a spatula down the bottom of the pot and it leaves a clean trail. This takes about 30-45 minutes. Just be sure to stir often so you don't scorch the bottom of your jam! Once the jam is thickened, you can do one of two things: process it all in a food processor or use an immersion blender to make the jam smooth. While the instructions recommend the food processor, I find the immersion blender to be the preferred solution since it allows me to make less mess and it is faster for my giant batches. Once blended, stir in pomegranate seeds and add to sterilized one cup jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. This recipe will yield around two cups, but always have an extra jar on hand in case you manage to get more out of it. Once you let your jam cool to room temperature, it will be good to go, refrigerated, for up to two months. Should you want longer storage, read on.

I like to preserve my jams for a longer shelf life using the water bath method. While not all jams are suitable candidates for safely preserving via water bath canning--I'm looking at you, white peaches--this one is! Simply place your jars in a pot of simmering water, leaving about one inch of water coverage over top of the jars. Crank your heat up to high, add the lid to pot, and, once the water reaches a hard boil, set your timer for the following, depending on your altitude (note that these times are for one cup jars only):

Once you have reached your required boiling time, turn the temperature back down to a simmer and let the jars rest in the pot for about 5-10 minutes. Doing so will aid in the jar sealing process as air bubbles work their way up the jars. It also makes it less dangerous to remove the jars from the pot. Once they have rested a bit, remove the jars from the pot by using a pair of canning tongs, and place jars on a dish towel placed on a flat surface. Leave them alone at this point. Really, leave them alone. If you did everything correctly, you should eventually hear the tops of the jars make a popping sound, which is an indicator that the air has released and the jar as properly sealed. This can happen in as little as five minutes, or up to several hours. As an extra precaution, do a little test the next morning by removing the metal rings and gently tugging up on the lid's edges to see if it is stuck in place. If so, you are all good for about 12-18 months. If the lid does move, it didn't seal properly, therefore it will last in the refrigerator for up to two months. As for any canned goods, I always check for look and smell upon opening. If anything seems off, throw it out! That said, I have never found myself throwing anything out, and I don't think anyone has yet landed in the hospital as a result of eating my jams and sauces!

Now that I have over 20 jars of this lovely jam, I am looking forward to presenting them as gifts, as well as pairing it with brie or homemade croissants, which I will cover in a future blog post.

Happy canning!

Since I am one who thrives on efficiency, I have discovered a couple handy shortcuts over the years of canning hundreds upon hundreds of jars of jam and sauces. Be prepared to have some life-changing knowledge and myth-busting dropped on you.

1. While I am sure you have heard before that you must sterilize your jars immediately before filling them, the truth is that as long as you boil your filled jars for at least 15 minutes, they will sterilize during this process. Don't believe me? 
2. For this recipe, based on my altitude, I only have to boil for 10 minutes, which means I do need to sterilize my jars. Rather than bobbing for hot jars in a pot of hot water, I simply place them on a cookie sheet and into my 225 degree F oven for about :30. Once completed, I turn off the oven and keep the door closed, so they will still be hot when time to fill. I remove them with silicone coated tongs so I don't burn my hands on the hot glass. I like the silicone coating, as it helps keep a better grip.
3. Also, you will often see in many recipes that you need to keep your Ball canning lids in a pot of simmering water, until use. Guess what? That would apply if you were making jam in 1968. While simmering is an extra insurance policy for sterilization, Ball has confirmed, after much testing, that it is not required. The only main reason it was a must at one point, per Ball, is that the sealing gasket on the lids used to be latex-based, which required softening the latex to ensure a seal. In 1969, they introduced a gasket made from Plastisol, which doesn't require pre-heating. Yay! One less pot to clean!
4. For all of my jam recipes, I like to use this super handy electric canning pot. I place it outside on a table, which is pretty awesome during the hot Summer months, when I don't want to further heat up the house with a big pot of boiling water and steam. Mine has been going strong for over five years and hundreds of bottles of preserves. Along with the Mauviel jam pot, I see this as another must have for the serious canner. Another cool use: cooking large batches of soup or even yummy hot drinks to be served at parties--think Spiced Cider or Hot Cocoa. There is a spigot on the side of the pot where one can pour the liquid directly into a bowl or cup. Brilliant!