Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/13/2026
Processing details
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Safety summary
Do not omit or reduce acid, peel or stem figs, skip either pre-cook, use damaged fruit, or shorten processing.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Pint or Quart Jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Processing time
- Pints 45/50/55/60 and quarts 50/55/60/65 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Follow the NCHFP source exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars and a boiling-water canner.
- Use sound figs and complete both pre-cooks; acidify each pint with 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid, doubling for quarts.
- Fill pints or quarts, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Pints 45/50/55/60 and quarts 50/55/60/65 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
- Cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, nonreactive saucepan or stockpot, preparation tools, jar lifter, and pints or quarts.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use sound produce and exact measured ingredients.
- Pack: Hot pack; maintain 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process: Keep jars covered by boiling water and use the altitude schedule.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed.
Safety essentials
Do not omit or reduce acid, peel or stem figs, skip either pre-cook, use damaged fruit, or shorten processing.
About this recipe
Figs is a tested NCHFP boiling-water home-canning recipe using hot pack.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Pints or quarts
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
Altitude and processing schedule
Pints 45/50/55/60 and quarts 50/55/60/65 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
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Figs — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 16 lb firm ripe uncracked figs average for a 7-quart canner load
- light syrup for packing
- 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per quart; use 1 tablespoon per pint, OR use citric acid as directed by NCHFP
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
Directions
- Wash figs thoroughly and drain. Do not peel or remove stems.
- Cover figs with water, boil 2 minutes, and drain. Gently boil figs in light syrup for 5 minutes.
- Acidify each jar with bottled lemon juice: 2 tablespoons per quart or 1 tablespoon per pint. NCHFP also permits citric acid at 1/2 teaspoon per quart or 1/4 teaspoon per pint.
- Fill jars with hot figs and cooking syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace, then process according to the NCHFP boiling-water schedule for jar size and altitude.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve as appropriate for the preserved fruit, or use in breakfast dishes, desserts, sauces, and baking after opening.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the process?
Only make changes expressly permitted by NCHFP. Do not omit or reduce acid, peel or stem figs, skip either pre-cook, use damaged fruit, or shorten processing.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours using a new lid and the complete tested process when permitted.
How this recipe compares
Figs require jar-by-jar acidification and unusually long boiling-water processing.
Troubleshooting
Measure the acid accurately for every jar and complete both heating stages.
Discard jars showing leakage, bulging, spurting, mold, or other spoilage. Never taste to determine safety.
Source & provenance
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: June, July, August, September
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
12–35 lb of Warm-climate fruit per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.