Name: Lemon, Fig and Lavender Marmalade
Ingredients: 5 lemons; 3 1/2 cups water (for lemons); 2 cups dried figs, about 18; 3 1/2 cup water (for figs); 5 tablespoons dried lavender; 5 cups sugar

Description

This delicious, complex, grown-up preserve has a strong, tangy lemon flavour and will set quite firm.

Scale

Ingredients

5 lemons
3 1/2 cups water (for lemons)
2 cups dried figs, about 18
3 1/2 cup water (for figs)
5 tablespoons dried lavender
5 cups sugar

Instructions

Scrub the lemons in warm, soapy water to remove any wax, pesticides or dirt. Rinse thoroughly.
In a wide, deep non-reactive pot with a thick bottom on medium heat, combine the lemons with 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil on the stovetop, then reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (Or put the covered pot in the oven at 200°F/ 95°C for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.)
Meanwhile, remove stems from the figs, chopped them into small pieces (they will swell up as they reconstitute) and combine them, in a pot, with another 3 1/2 cups water to soak.
Tie the lavender in the jelly bag and add it to the figs, then allow the mixture to steep until the lemons are ready.
About 15 minutes before the lemons are ready, sterilized jars and warm lids.
Carefully lift the soft poached lemons out of the water with a slotted spoon so they don’t break apart, and put them into a sieve placed over a bowl to catch any drips. Add the remaining liquid from the lemons to the pot with the fig and lavender.
When the lemons are cool enough to handle, cut them in half. Scoop out the insides, strain out the juice and reserve. Put the remaining pith, pulp, membranes, and seeds in a jelly bag or 2 or 3 layers of cheesecloth or a wide-weave dishtowel. Reserve the peel.
Add the jelly bag with the lemon pith and seeds to the pot with the figs and lavender. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the preserved lemon peel very finely into strips.
Take the pot off the heat and remove the jelly bag with the lemon pith and seeds, but leave the lavender in the pot. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Stir to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Return the pot to the heat, bring to a full, rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, and boil, stirring frequently, until it reaches the setting point (about 10 to 20 minutes).
Remove the jelly bag containing the lavender and ladle the liquid into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch (6 mm) of headspace. Seal with warm lids and process for 10 minutes at a rolling boil (15 minutes for pint jars).
Remove the canner lid, turn off the heat, and allow the jars to sit in the hot water for another 5 minutes to cool down.

Notes

This recipe was originally published at Laundry Etc.co by Gloria Nichol. This version of the recipe appears in We Sure Can: How Jams and Pickles are Reviving the Lure and Lore of Local Food by Sarah B. Hood. Published by Arsenal Pulp Press ©2011.