I have several peach and fig trees growing in my orchard. Harvest time has come and I set out to pick them. In the morning I brought a basket and a few crates, because I knew I would need space for the fruit. The peaches were already ripe, some had fallen to the ground, so I picked those first.The ones that were soft, I put aside separately, because they were not for standing for a long time. I picked the tree carefully so as not to damage the branches. The crates were filling up fast. When I was done with the first tree, I moved on to the second. There the fruit was a little bigger and I had to climb a ladder to reach higher branches.After filling three crates of peaches, I set out to collect figs. I picked the figs by hand, one by one, because they are sensitive and easy to crush. I separated the softer ones for jam, and the harder ones for compote and to eat fresh. I immediately put the figs that were too soft in a separate bucket. After an hour I had a basket full of figs and a few smaller bowls.I didn't plan on picking grapes, but I picked a few because I couldn't resist. Let's eat a little after lunch.I brought everything back to the yard and separated it by name.
First, I washed the glass jars and bottles I had prepared. I put the jars in the oven to sterilize them, and I boiled the lids in water. For the peach jam, I peeled the fruit, removed the pits, and cut it into smaller pieces. I put it in a large saucepan and added the sugar.I stirred and let it sit for a while to let the fruit release its juices. When enough liquid had accumulated, I put the pan on the stove. I cooked on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent burning. From time to time I skimmed the foam that formed on the surface. The jam was cooked for almost two hours until it thickened. Finally, I poured it into hot jars, sealed and turned upside down so the lids would catch. For fig jam, the procedure was similar. I washed the figs well, removed the stems and cut them. I added sugar and a little lemon juice. When I put it to cook, the mass quickly became thick because the figs themselves have a lot of sweetness. I kept stirring so it wouldn't burn. The jam came out just right for spreading, so I poured it into the prepared jars.
In addition to jam, I also made compote. For the peach compote, I first peeled the fruit, removed the stones and cut it into slices. I put it in glass jars, and then I prepared a syrup from water and sugar. When the syrup came to a boil, I poured it over the peaches, sealed the jars and placed them in a large pot of water to pasteurize. After about twenty minutes, I took them out and left them to cool.I made fig compote more simply. I put the whole figs in the jars, added a little sugar and poured syrup. Pasteurization was the same as for peaches. When they cooled, I arranged them in the pantry.The work was hard all day long because I had to stand by the stove, wash the fruit, sterilize the jars, and constantly check to make sure nothing was overcooked or burnt. However, I knew that everything would last through the winter and would not go to waste. There were enough peaches and figs for both fresh eating and processing.
That work in the orchard and the kitchen is not easy, but in the end there is a full winter storage. I know exactly what I put in there, no additions other than fruit, sugar and a little lemon. It was the whole process of picking peaches and figs and making jam and compote, the way I do it every year.