My friend A. told me yesterday that the way to tell if a fig is ripe, according to French writer Colette, is if when you look at its bottom you see a single tear of nectar oozing out. Hmmm. I just kinda sniffed and gave a gentle squeeze this time around, but in future I’ll be checking for Colette’s elusive nectar tear.

The other day at the market, I came across some most luscious looking yellow figgies. A big ol’ tray for 10 bucks at fruit guy Chez Nino. Not bad considering when they’re off season they can go for about three bucks a pop. There must have been, what, 12 or 15 plump, delicate orbs with pink grapefruit coloured fleshy insides and the palest greenish-yellow skins in my tray. Then I grabbed a few more for posterity. And I knew what they would become when they got home: fig and star anise jam.

The figs were the last thing on my list, and as I bought them, some charcoal-coloured clouds were closing in on the market. People’s movements became more hurried as we all rushed to take refuge from the coming rain. You know that otherworldly kind of light that happens right before it rains? It’s dark and foreboding but illuminating so that everything comes into razor sharp focus. Anyway, it’s in this light that I saw these figs. Suddenly it made so much sense that they’re the fruit most linked to sex and fertility and passionate love. And I hadn’t even seen their juicy guts yet!

Fig and star anise jam

4 cups figs, finely chopped
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 cups sugar
½ tsp unsalted butter
1 pouch liquid pectin

Combine chopped figs, lemon juice and half the sugar, let stand for 10-15 minutes. Over medium-low heat, stir, allowing sugar to dissolve before adding the remains of it. Continue stirring, add butter and increase heat to medium-high, bringing on a full rolling boil, stirring continuously. Add pectin, return to boil, stir at full rolling boil for one minute then remove from heat. Wait one minute then skim any foam.

Allow jam to cool for five minutes, stir once again, then fill hot, clean jars (I wash them, then boil them for 10 minutes), leaving 1 cm (1/4 inch) of head space. Wipe jar rims with clean cloth, put clean tops on and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

This jam was based on this recipe, this one and on the recipe for fig jam in the book Blue Ribbon Preserves.