FIGS! What do I do with them?

[Dora]

I have two fig trees, one is in pick-me-now status, and the other is right behind. Do I do something with all this bounty, or should I leave it for the birds and call it compost? In the past I've just eaten a few and let the rest go.

I had dreamed of taking a day off of work and making preserves, but we're going to Iowa next week and I know we'll miss most of the crop. I'd like to use what I can in the meantime.

Please give me your best and worst suggestions.

[The empressof all]

1. I would kill for a fig tree

Make fig bars. I would imagine it wouldn't be hard to find a bar cookie recipe and place a layer of sweetened figs whirled in a blender in between the layers.

In fact I wonder what an oatmeal cookie bar recipe studded with a little crystallized ginger and layered with fig would be like. Sounds good to me.


Please pick the figs and give them to friends, neighbors and the food bank......

[Dora]

3. That's a great idea!

I've wondered about how to make an at-home fig bar. I hadn't considered oatmeal cookie dough as a base, but it sounds right! And I have crystallized ginger too....

[Shakespeare]

2. Oh, lucky, lucky you!!!

There are few things more decadent than biting into a ripe fig; it's an utterly sensual experience. And they taste so good, too!

Figs are WONDERFUL to cook with, so I highly recommend The Girl and The Fig cookbook (I've used many of these recipes myself, and can vouch that they're outstanding.

This site may also be useful for you:

http://www.californiafigs.com/recipes/

And if you can't use up all the figs while they're fresh, they dry VERY easily (you don't even need a dehydrator--you can dry them in your oven at a very low temp) to store for winter cooking.

[Dora]

4. thanks for the link

and for the drying suggestion. I may get more use out of these figs than I think!

[anitar1]

7. Btw, Thanks for the link, shakespeare,

great sounding recipes on there. The kolaches sound divine.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Send.Them.To.Me.Today. By.Express.Mail. And.I.Will.Eat.Them.All

:)

Figs are incredibly tender and simply don't ship very well. But to me they're the high god of all fruit.

You can eat them raw. They're sooooooo sweet.

You can use them in desserts.

You can even use them to cook .... with fish or mild meat like thin sliced pork, chicken or (mmmmMM) veal. They even go on pizzas!

I'm sure a google search for 'fig recipe' will turn up tons of uses.

I almost had a heart attack when you suggested leaving those precious little orbs of nectar to become compost or bird food.

Our tree got some winter damage last year, so we're hoping for just a few fruit on the few remaining old wood branches. Beyond that, I'll be buying (and paying dearly) for some great locally grown fruit.

PLEASE consider yourself blessed to have such treasures in your yard.

[Dora]

8. Mmmm. These tender little figs...

Are slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball and are just now blushing purple. Tree #2 is not quite ripe, with figs smaller than a racquetball and still green as a cucumber.

Blessed, yes, but each summer since we've bought this house, we've been traveling at the exact same time that the figs have ripened. Hence, the well-fed birds and healthy compost.

I think I'd like to try and make some fig jam and just freeze it rather than canning it. In the meantime, I have some boneless pork chops in the fridge that just might turn into pork & fig skewers on the grill.

[Shakespeare]

10. Do you know which variety of fig you have?

I'm always curious what other folks are growing. Here in northern California, most of what you find locally at nurseries are mission and occasionally "brown turkey" figs. I prefer the Celeste fig (also called the honey fig) like my grandmother used to grow, so I tracked down a seller on eBay who was selling dormant trees last year of that particular variety.

It almost went re-dormant in our overly long, wet, cold spring here after first budding out in March, but now it's growing like crazy. We'll probably just get a handful of figs this year, but subsequent summers (especially if I root some cuttings for clone trees) should give us bigger crops.

[Dora]

11. I have no idea.

I've tried halfheartedly searching online, but I always wind up spending my time at DU instead.

[Shakespeare]

12. LOL--I know what you mean! n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

18. Here ya go ..... 'Fig Sites'

http://www.tytyga.com/figs/index.htm
The Fig Tree Nursery at Ty Ty

Carthttp://www.raintreenursery.com/catalog/ProductDetails.cfm?ProductID=D355
Raintree Shopping

Explore both sites. Lots of different figs and fig info.

[anitar1]

6. I,too,yearn for figs. My Sis had the most wonderful fig

tree and I used to pick to my heart's content. I adore figs. I used to make the most wonderful preserves with lots of lemons, sliced very thinly. It was the best ever. We also dried some of them. I actually day dream about figs at times. Now my sister lives in a city and I am in Oregon. Figs are so costly at the organic markets here. But I buy a few when they are in stock. I love the Black Mission figs.

[Dora]

9. I'd like that preserves recipe

if you can remember any of it, please!

I'm good at throwing things together, but I'm not sure how to treat the figs. Do I "peel" them? Or just cut them up and cook them down with a little bit of water? How much sugar do I use? How much cooking time?

And lemon... what a touch!

[anitar1]

14. Dora, I am not sure where the recipe is as I haven't

used it for 5 yrs--plus I have probably thousands of recipes. I did go to the California Figs link which is listed on Post #2, and they have a recipe link on there. One of them is a fig and lemon preserve , which is quite similar to my old recipe.But minus the spices. One thing I do remember the lemon/fig ratio was half and half. The lemon cuts the sweetness nicely.It only has figs, lemons ,sugar and maybe pectin.Enjoy and if I locate the old recipe --will post it.

[anitar1]

15. oops--dod not answer the other questions--it's late

and the mind is tired. Just wash the figs and cut them up a bit--wash the lemons and discard the ends. But try to slice them very thin. Yes they are cooked down a bit with the sugar but I don't remember adding water. Simmer.

[Dora]

17. Thanks!

You told me exactly what I wanted to know. I'll slice the lemons on my mandoline - paper thin!

Cheers -

[anitar1]

16. Here I go again! I checked out the California figs site

again and they do call for water. I did not use vinegar in mine, or spices. Sounds like you do not need to cut the figs much--maybe in half.

[eleny]

13. Send me some now!!!!!!!!

Just wanted to say how much I love figs and miss having them fresh. They just don't grow well here. I haven't read the replies from others. But I just wonder if you could cook some like a compote and then freeze that to make some preserves later. I like making preserves and would try it.

Whatever you do - enjoy!

[Stinky The Clown]

19. eleny, go to those links I posted upthread

One of them lists a fig developed for very cold weather .... specifically for Chicago! Lots of other varieties, too. Surely you could find one that will work in your area.

[eleny]

20. Thanks, Husb!

One of the problems with Colorado is that we don't get consistent cold weather. Back in NYC, my folks had some fig trees. We'd wrap them up in the winter and put a pail on the top and leave it for the winter. But here, it warms up unexpectedly during winter and I think this is one of the reasons why figs don't do well. But I'll check out your posting and call our extension service. If there's any chance at all that a new variety will thrive, I know I can find a spot for it. Then, my only troubles will be hungry squirrels and birds! :+

[tenshi816]

21. Proscuitto e ficci

Slice the figs in half or in quarters lengthwise and wrap each piece with a thin slice of good proscuitto ham and a sprinkle of freshly grated black pepper. The contrast of tastes and textures is amazing.

It's also good if you put a cube of blue cheese on the figs prior to wrapping with the ham, sticking in the oven long enough to melt the cheese and then drizzling with a good olive oil. Makes a good first course to a meal, with or without the cheese.

Figs are also good served with plain yogurt.

I don't see figs that often in the UK, but when I do I snap them up (and then I go buy the proscuitto).

Ooh, figs. Yum. Enjoy!

[Shakespeare]

22. btw, my favorite fig trivia - figs are actually inverted flowers!

The fig fruit is unique. Unlike most fruit in which the edible structure is matured ovary tissue, the fig's edible structure is actually stem tissue. The fig fruit is an inverted flower with both the male and female flower parts enclosed in stem tissue. This structure is known botanically as a syconium. At maturity the interior of the fig contains only the remains of these flower structures, including the small gritty structures commonly called seeds. Actually, these so-called seeds usually are nothing more than unfertilized ovaries that failed to develop. They impart the resin-like flavor associated with figs.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homefruit/fig/fig.html

This is a great site for figs, incidentally (from my alma mater!); here's what they have to say about my celeste fig:

Celeste (Malta). The Celeste fig is small, brown to purple in color and adapted to all areas of Texas. Celeste is the most cold hardy of all Texas fig varieties. The tree is large, vigorous and very productive. Celeste usually does not have a Breba crop; the main crop ripens in mid-June before the main crop of other Texas fig varieties. Celeste fruit has a tightly closed eye which inhibits the entry of the dried fruit beetle. The fruit does not have excessive souring on the tree. Celeste has excellent fresh dessert quality with a rich sweet flavor. It is an excellent processing fig, either frozen or processed as fig preserves. Do not prune mature Celeste trees heavily because this can reduce the crop.

[Dora]

23. That's my fig!

Celeste! Celeste! Like music it rolls off my tongue, Celeste!

Celeste!

[Tinoire]

24. Little fig appetizer

slice in half (lengthwise)
brush with balsamic vinegar
top with a dollop of goat cheese

broil

serve

curl your toes


and I'n no fan of figs

[Stinky The Clown]

25. Hey, Tinoire ..... (warning: minor thread hijack in progress)

:hi:

A while back, in a thread I posted about "crab cake pasta" (or maybe it was about coddies?) ... anyway .... you mentioned Maille's mustard.

I bought some and tasted it side by side with Gray Poupon ......

The Maille's won! Thanks!

But ..... it seems even this is made not with French grown mustard seed. They use Canadian grown mustard seed. Seems the French think there are better uses for the land than mustard seeds. Almost none is grown in France anymore.

[Tinoire]

26. :)

I am so thrilled you liked it especially after all the hints I've gleaned from your posts!


And thank you for that little factoid :)