Brown Turkey Fig Jam
Recipe by Stephanie Ganz
Makes 3 cups
This pectin-free fig jam, scented with vanilla and orange zest, is my favorite way to make use of a glut of figs. Packed in 4-ounce Ball jars with a little ribbon, the chunky jam makes a sweet gift.
12 pounds brown turkey figs, washed, stemmed, and quartered
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons orange zest
Tools needed: candy thermometer
Combine all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and reduce heat so the jam is barely simmering. The figs will release liquid as they cook. Keep an eye on the jam, because it may scorch if unattended. Simmer over low heat for about 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally and using the back of a wooden spoon to mash the larger pieces of fruit, until the jam reaches 220°F on a candy thermometer. You may need more cooking time; it really depends on the figs themselves, so stay close to the jam while it cooks and adjust accordingly.
Let the jam cool until it’s just warm, and then transfer to clean glass jars. If you would like to water bath process the jars to make them shelf-stable, you may do so now. Otherwise, the sealed, airtight jars will last for about a month in the refrigerator.
Sammy’s BlueBarb Pie
This lattice-topped pie comes from Editor-in-Chief Madeline Mayhood’s Aunt Sammy, whose Massachusetts garden contained both rhubarb and blueberries. “She’d pace the length of her garden, coffee cup in hand, nursing her rhubarbs all summer like they were her babies,” Mayhood recalls. Garam masala, a blend of spices common in India, gives the pie a lovely warm flavor, and the recipe also includes quick-cooking tapioca to absorb and thicken the rhubarb and blueberry juices, resulting in a luxurious, showstopping fruit pie that’s never soggy.
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon garam marsala
¼ cup quick-cooking tapioca
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups diced rhubarb
3 cups fresh blueberries
Your preferred pie dough for two pie crusts (or one 14.1-ounce package double-crust pie pastry, thawed)
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stir white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, garam marsala, tapioca, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch diced rhubarb for about a minute. Remove from heat, strain, and pat dry really well.
Add rhubarb and blueberries to sugar mixture; toss to coat.
Divide pie dough in half and roll each half out into a 9-inch round. Place 1 round of dough in the bottom of a pie plate. Pile rhubarb-blueberry mixture on top of dough and top with remaining dough round in your own style—lattice, braided, woven, decorative cut-outs, solid (with slits for venting), or whatever strikes your fancy. Trim excess dough, and tuck and crimp as needed. Place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 25–30 minutes more. Cool for two hours before devouring.
Sugar Cube Granita
Recipe courtesy of Olivia Wilson
Olivia-Wilson.com
Granita is a semi-frozen Italian dessert, originating in Sicily, that’s similar to sorbet or Italian ice, but with a coarser, more crystalline texture.
2 sugar cube melons*
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup cold water
1½ teaspoons sea salt
Tools needed: blender or food processor, melon baller
Wash melons thoroughly. Slice in half, remove any seeds, and using a melon baller, scoop out 12 small balls, and set aside in an airtight container in the refrigerator for garnish. Using a spoon, scoop out the remaining flesh into the blender, making sure to leave the melon rind intact. Set your melon bowls aside in the fridge.
Blend melon until smooth, and pour through a fine mesh sieve. Measure 1½ cups melon purée. (If you have extra, enjoy it in a glass of sparkling water or champagne!)
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust the salt or acid if needed. Pour mixture in a small container that will fit in your freezer (loaf pan, square cake pan, pie dish).
Place the container in a safe spot in your freezer, uncovered. Set a timer for 30 minutes, remove the container from the freezer, and rake with a fork to move the freezing mixture around. You may have some frozen chunks and some of it may still be liquid—just agitate it for a few seconds, and put it back in the freezer. Set another timer for 30 minutes and repeat this process until you are raking beautiful sherbet-colored crystals. After 2–3 hours, it should be frozen.
To plate, remove melon halves and balls from the fridge. Place melons on a small plate, or set in a shallow bowl. Fill each half with your granita and garnish with melon balls. Granita can be kept in an airtight container in the freezer for one week.
*You can find sugar cube melons at most farmers’ markets around Virginia starting in July. If you can’t find sugar cubes, this recipe will work with a regular cantaloupe, but you may have to adjust the sugar.
Plum Rosé Pâte de Fruit
Recipe by Christina Martin
BakerNoBakery.com
Don’t let the French name or metric ingredients keep you from making this simple recipe for bouncy fruit candy. It’s like the love child of Turkish delights and gummy bears. Once you get the hang of this adaptable recipe, you’ll never buy another fruit snack again!
For the poached plums
200 grams granulated sugar
200 grams water
400 grams rosé
2 pints or 1 quart of local plums, halved and pits removed
For the pâte de fruit
200 grams plum purée
200 grams plum poaching liquid
430 grams granulated sugar, divided, plus more for dusting
220 grams water, divided
10 grams citric acid
10 grams pectin
In a sauce pot over high heat, bring 200 grams granulated sugar, 200 grams water, and 400 grams rosé to a boil. Add plums, and simmer until the skins of the plum slide easily from the fruit. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. When cool, strain liquid from the plums, reserving the poaching liquid, and remove skins from plums. Blend plums in a blender until smooth.
In a large sauce pot, bring plum purée, poaching liquid, and 200 grams water to a boil.
Stir in 30 grams granulated sugar and 10 grams pectin. While boiling, slowly add 400 grams granulated sugar. Whisk constantly on medium heat until mixture reaches a temperature of 106ºC. Remove from heat, and add 20 grams of water and 10 grams of citric acid, while whisking. Immediately pour the mixture into a 9½ inch x 13 inch pan, and cool at room temperature until set. Slice into squares with a very thin, sharp knife. Toss pieces in granulated sugar. Allow to dry on a parchment-lined sheet tray for 12 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Click here to learn more about Virginia’s summer fruits.
This article originally appeared in the August 2025 issue.
