Sykalaki Glyko - Baby figs in syrup

 Last year, my fig harvest was almost entirely made up of ripe fruit. The tree had grown very tall, making it impossible to keep the birds away. After the season ended, I pruned it with the help of my gardener. This year, the harvest was more moderate. However, I ended up with a large number of figs that appeared at the beginning of autumn, just as the evenings started to cool. Figs simply don’t ripen in colder weather, and unlike some fruits, they cannot be picked early and left to mature. I felt sad at the thought of wasting so many beautiful young figs, and I remembered tasting figs preserved in syrup at a nearby vineyard many years ago.

I began researching recipes and discovered a lovely Greek one called Sykalaki Glyko, which I believe means “candied figs in a spoon.” It is traditionally offered as a welcoming sweet in Greek homes, served in a crystal dish alongside Greek coffee and a glass of water. I loved the story behind it and realised I could use a good portion of my figs, so I decided to give it a try.

Picking the figs without getting the sticky latex on my skin was quite a challenge, but I managed to gather nearly a kilo of beautiful green fruit. I discarded the very small ones and kept the medium-sized figs—those that would fit comfortably in a tablespoon.

Serve candied figs with icecream or in a cheeseboard. They are delicious on their own too!

Ingredients:

About a kilo of green figs.

3 cups water

3 cups sugar

Juice of 1 lime

Peel of 1 lime

cinnamon stick

6-8 cloves

1 inch piece of ginger, cleaned and cut into roundels

(If more syrup is needed to fill jar, make it up by adding sugar and water in a 1:1 ratio. If you have 1 cup sugar, you add 1 cup water, for example, to make the syrup.)

I didn't bother making extra syrup as I know this will be finished in no time.

Method:

Wash the figs well and remove the stalks. 

Prick the figs with a fork on three sides.  This will enable them to absorb the sugar syrup later.

Then boil them in water for 15 minutes. Discard the water. If the figs are very sticky you must repeat this step one more time. I didn't.

Make the sugar syrup. I added cloves, cinnamon, ginger, peel and juice of 1 lime to the syrup. 

Plave the figs in the sugar syrup. Cover with a sheet of baking paper to keep the figs immersed in the syrup. Cook in a low fire for up to an hour till the figs become glazed and look like gems.

Transfer to sterilised bottles and pour the syrup on top.

Firm to the bite, with a pop of sugary sweetness and some crunchy fig seeds inside for texture.

My beautiful tree getting ready for her winter nap.  Still some fruit left on the top branches!