Dedicated to my nana-by-soul.

My husband’s nana has two fig trees in her garden, and every summer she invites us over (with a regental voice and a childlike charm that you cannot say no to) to help her gather the figs before they get too ripe and start falling to the ground.

Last year, the two trees bore fruit like never before. I don’t know if it was the combination of the hot, dry summer and nana’s passionate dedication to giving them to me because I was the only one in the family to appreciate their sweetness, or if it was God hearing my prayers and blessings for her, so He, as always, got creative and showed me the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Probably it was all three. Last summer, I didn’t know what to do with all the fruit. We visited her and came back home with bags full of ripe figs. She gets smaller from year to year, so this time she mostly watched Nick and me pick the fruit while trying not to anger the wasps. And she, as tiny as she is, gave her best to stand on her toes and hold the branches to help us.

I told her I’ll make jam, as the fruits were too soft for whole-fig preserves. I selected the greener ones and gave a bowl to the neighbors, enjoyed a few as a source of quick energy between meals, and went on my journey to prepare jam. I ended up experimenting with two different combinations: one sweet and caramelized, and the other sweetened only with honey and perfect to use as a spread in sandwiches.

But that’s not all, folks. Last week, I found two more metal cookie tins full of frozen figs.

I defrosted them, tried one but found it too ripe, and thought of throwing them to the birds. But I already had food prepared for them and realized it would be a mistake to throw them away, so I decided to give it a go and make another jam. This time, I got a little bit more creative, as I didn’t like their sweet-and-sour, slightly stale taste. Well, to be honest, I had a helper.

As I added the figs to the pot, I started hearing that discreet, unintrusive but very clear voice of the Holy Spirit. It was a private, one-on-one free cooking class. Almost like a Disney scene, but the one where the viewer could still hear Jesus’ name in between scenes. 😉

“Now a bit of orange zest. Remember your favorite specialty coffee? Its notes are… what?”
“Chocolate! Citrus!” Ta-da! I got myself a new recipe.

Ingredients:

• 400 grams defrosted figs
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup chokeberries
• 1 tsp orange zest
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp pectin
• Water

Steps:

Add the figs to the cooking pot and let them cook in their juice. After 5 minutes, add the berries and stir with a wooden spoon. Add enough water to cover the fruit and let it cook on medium heat. I used a medium-size pot to cook it quicker and soften the fruits more easily. Add the sugar, the pectin, the orange zest, and the lemon juice, and stir again. Let it cook on low heat.

From time to time, stir to avoid the jam getting stuck to the bottom. Add water before it evaporates. Stir, let it cook for 5 more minutes, and add a tablespoon of cocoa. Stir again and let it cook until softened and smooth. Add sugar if desired. Remove the jam, let it cool, and add half a tablespoon of honey. Pack in sterilized jars (or jar — I got around 200 grams of jam).

Serve plain, with biscuits, or use it in cheesecake, pancakes, or muffins.