Fall = Figs
It’s Fall and that means all around the San Francisco Bay Area, figs are ripening on backyard trees everywhere.
While we don’t have a fig tree in our own yard, our generous neighbors have four huge fig trees (one green Calmyrna and three purple Black Mission) – they let us help ourselves every year. This is the time of year you may find us marching down the street with a 12 foot ladder.
A childhood favorite, figs were popular in my family whether in the form of fig newtons in our lunch boxes or fresh off Mom’s tree in our backyard.
For the rest of human kind, figs have been enjoyed for over 5000 years. Figs have been found in Egyptian tombs to provide a healthy snack in the after world. The Greeks and Romans used figs fresh, roasted, dried and as a sweetener before sugar was discovered. It was the Romans who were instrumental in introducing figs to other parts of Europe. In turn, during the late 1700’s the Spanish missionaries introduced figs to California. Today, you will find fig trees growing all over California.
Figs, a soft super sweet fruit with numerous edible blossoms and seeds encased in a thin edible skin, are a member of the Mulberry family and has two fruiting seasons. A short one in the Spring and a longer more abundant one mid to late Summer lasting into Fall. Some common varieties you will find are the green ‘kadota’ and ‘calmyrna’, the brown ‘brown turkey’, and the purple ‘black mission.’ The best way to enjoy a truly ripe fig is to grow your own; have generous neighbors, family or friends; or purchase at your neighborhood farmer’s market.
It is important to pick only ripe figs as figs do not ripen off the tree. Figs are ripe when they are plump and soft. I find the ones with fine lengthwise cracks in the skin are the best tasting – literally bursting with flavor. To harvest, gently cup the fig in your hand and grab the stem with your fingers. Then give a twist – the fig should come right off the tree.
We love figs fresh but with such an abundance of figs we use our American Harvest Food Drier to dry most of the harvest.
- First we wash the figs then cut off the stem and slice in half.
- We lay in a single layer on the trays and dry at 115F to 120F. Note that raw foodist like to keep the temperature at or less than 115F to keep the temperature sensitive enzymes viable.
- Dry until the figs are…well, dry. This will usually take 24+ hours depending on the initial moisture content and the size of the fruit.
- Store in glass jars with tight lids or in well sealed plastic bags. To extend the shelf life further you can freeze.
Other ways we enjoy the figs are sliced in salads; marinated in balsamic vinegar, honey and mint and grilled or broiled; in muffins; in Lamb Stew; stuffed in chicken breast; or on crostini.
Nutritionally, figs beat out some well known foods…ounce for ounce figs have
- more fiber than prunes
- more potassium than bananas
- more calcium than milk
One thing I have noticed about gardeners is that no matter the season – generosity is always in abundance. What better way to get to know your neighbors than sharing the bounty of the garden…kind of like breaking bread only better for you.
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