I live in an agricultural promised land--so WHY can't I find....

[Shakespeare]

...fresh California figs???!!! x( x( x(

When I lived in Southern California, I could find more figs than I'd ever seen in my life at the Hollywood farmers' market. Multiple varieties, even. That made me a very, very happy girl. :woohoo:

But now, here I am up in Sonoma County--and there are no fresh figs to be found. ANYWHERE. And I want fresh figs really, really bad. x( x( x(

Rantingly yours,
Shakespeare (who is impatiently waiting for her new fig tree to produce fruit, which will not happen until next summer).

p.s. So what are y'all craving that you're having a hard time finding this year?

[Stinky The Clown]

1. Our figs aren't in yet ... and my own tree's too young ......

We have a small, small farm nearby. In suburbia, completely surrounded by tract houses, this guy's been a long, long term holdout to the developers. He has what is essentially a huge home garden, more than it is a farm, but he sells rabbits, fruits, eggs, honey, and in season ... FRESH FIGS! I'd guess another week or three and they'll be in.

My own fig tree is still too young to fruit. Maybe next year.

[Shakespeare]

2. yumyumyumyumyum

fresh figs and locally harvested honey and prosciutto....on your choice of bagette slices or a bed of arugula....maybe some goat cheese and artisanal olive oil to go with....

I'm gettin' hungry....

We tried an AMAZING dry goat cheese last weekend, speaking of--had never encountered such a wonder before.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. I **love** goat cheese ...... but Sparkly's a little shy toward it

I suspoect its the idea of 'goat' cheese more than the taste. In fact, I know that's the case, cuz I've given her goat cheese but didn't say what it was.

Besides, she loves bufala .... and who wants to eat anything that comes from a water buffalo? :shrug:

[Shakespeare]

5. Here's something she might like:

My goat-cheese-wary stepdaughter will practically inhale one of these:

GOAT CHEESE AND HERB SOUFFLES

7 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup whole milk
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (I usually leave this out, because I find it a bit overpowering; the thyme by itself works quite nicely)
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Large pinch of cayenne pepper
4 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes. Place 1 tablespoon Parmesan in each dish; rotate dishes to coat with cheese, leaving excess in dishes. Place dishes on baking sheet. Whisk milk and yolks in bowl to blend.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, thyme, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Add flour; whisk 1 minute. Whisk in milk mixture. Whisk soufflé base until thick and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add 1/2 cup goat cheese, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; whisk until cheese melts. Beat whites in bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into base in pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup goat cheese and 1 tablespoon Parmesan over. Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions. Divide mixture among dishes.

Bake soufflés until puffed and beginning to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings

[babylonsister]

4. Ah, to be able to buy local farmers' products! Having

grown up on Long Island in NY, I remember them well. Bushels of apples in the fall, peaches in the summer, fresh corn, etc. Your mention makes me long for that part of my youth I'm missing. Here in TX, I seen watermelons for sale occasionally, but not much else. To my good ole days!

[The empressof all]

6. I just bought some figs yesterday

First time I've seen them this year in Western WA. They were very pricey at $5.99 for a med. sized plastic box. I got them at Safeway of all places.

[politicat]

7. Decent apples.

They're just out of season. Come September-October, I'm a happy camper. We're also having a hell of a time finding good melons this year - it's just been too dry for the local ones and when they're shipped.... icky. (Rocky Ford melons are due in August, though.)

And come January, I'll be looking forward to Arizona citrus, if I can find a shipper. Texas, Florida, and CA citrus just doesn't taste the same.

[ironflange]

10. Oh yeah, I'm in heaven during apple season

Jonagolds, Ambrosias, Galas, Fujis, the list goes on and on.

[troubleinwinter]

8. I live in Sonoma County....

There is a farm over south of Sebastopol way that grows Xmas trees and you can pick figs from their trees. My mother and I bought some a couple of years ago to ship to my grandparents who live in Hawaii... we packed 'em in egg cartons!

Get ahold of a Sonoma County Farm Trails map! It lists all sorts of farms and ranches for all kinds of produce. They will send you one if you order it here: http://www.farmtrails.org/index.html

Also try the farmers' markets.

Here are a couple of entries from Farm Trails that list figs.

.....................................

The Patch

280 2nd Street
Sonoma, CA 95476
Phone: [phone]
Map: #923

Fresh vegetables, figs, heirloom tomatoes, broccoli, sweet peppers, potatoes, white and yellow corn, pumpkins, onions. Find us at local Farmers Markets. Sustainably grown since 1870. Located along the Sonoma Bike Trail.
Hours: Daily 10-5, June- November
.................................

Adams & Friend Farm

3022 Trenton Road
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Map: #775

Goose down and feather pilllows cleaned. Comforters renovated. Stte licenced. Spinning wool. Looms and weavings. Sheep hides,chicken eggs, figs and fruit in season
Hours: Open by appointment
............................

Middleton Farm

2651 Westside Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Phone: [phone]
Map: #148

Certified organic fruits, vegetables, herbs & flowers. Farm store. Sweet onions, garlic, apples, asparagus, tomatoes, squash, root vegetables, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, plums, pears, figs. Fresh eggs. Farmers markets.
Hours: Daily, April-Oct, 9-4:30, Sun 3:30-5; Ring brass bell behind barn

[kestrel91316]

9. Well you could come down to LA and pick a couple of my Kadotas..........

I have a HUGE fig tree in the back yard and a bumper crop of big green kadotas. I made fig jam one year (was too sweet for even ME to use!!!) and canned some too. Now I just go out back every day or twice and pick and eat. Got to watch out for the dropped ones turning to fig vinegar and glop on the lawn though.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. Because it isn't September yet

Patience, grasshopper!

[Shakespeare]

12. Yeah, but I'm used to that first crop hitting the H'wood farmers market...

...in July!

Actually, I did find some about a week ago at one of our local independent grocery stores (beautiful, purple/black gems...yum).

Now if I can just figure out what's causing the blooms on my brandywines and eggplant plants to drop off, I'll be a happy girl. :-(

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. Possibly not enough calcium?

There's a calcium spray you can spray the blooms with when they first appear that will make them stronger - especially with the hot weather we've been getting.

[Shakespeare]

14. I may give that a try.

I've never seen blooms drop off like this before--it's as if something is chewing partway through the stem about 1/2 inch above the bloom (and the bloom dies and drops off at that weak point). This seems to be stopping (fingers crossed), but I'm going to look into the bloom spray anyway.

I've got cherry tomatoes coming in by the bucketfull--but I want my brandywines!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. So are you finding them yet? We got em down here now!

[Shakespeare]

16. Yes! A couple of weeks ago, in fact.

And they weren't even terribly expensive, which made it even better.

I've moved on to new things to complain about, now--namely, that my tomatoes are taking too &$%&ing long to ripen (as are the eggplant and corn....).

Shakespeare, the impatient gardener. ;-)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. Once the tomatoes start to turn and are yellow

take them off the vine and place them on top of your fridge and they will ripen in a day or two from the heat of the fridge ;)

[Shakespeare]

18. oooh, neat tip....

I've never tried that before--but now's a great time to give it a shot.

Thanks!

[demnan]

19. I miss the farmer's market where I used to live

they had fresh organic eggs and milk and heirloom tomatoes. The farmer's market where I live now has a lot of stuff, but no dairy and mostly they just have regular yellow or red tomatoes, good but not the heirlooms I'm used to.

On the other hand, I'm growing my own plum tomatoes and have basil coming out of my ears, where I used to live, I didn't have a patio to grow things.