Figs are in season right now and oh, how I love them. I used to have a fig tree. It was a brown turkey fig tree. It would bear a few figs in the late spring and then really start to flourish in the late summer, early fall. I tried moving it around with me to a couple of different houses in a pot. Unfortunately, it didn’t survive one of the winter moves.
If your only experience with figs is Fig Newtons, then you really have to search out some fresh figs to see how extremely different from the well known cookie filling the fresh fig tastes. I’m not knocking Fig Newtons. I actually think they are very tasty. They just don’t really have that fresh fig taste.
Of course, the fig leaves are also quite attractive. They work great as a foundation for a cheese plate (with which figs would work very well). They are also famous for covering Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Figs are also known as a healing food. They are said to control cholesterol, prevent colon cancer, and lower high blood pressure. That little fig packs a lot of power!
There are several types of figs. I’ll tell you about 3.
This is the kind of fig I grew. They have brownish / copper-colored skin, often with hints of purple, and mostly pink/red flesh with some white flesh.
The Celeste Fig is very common in the South. They are small and sweet and delicious. The are a purplish-brown when ripe, and have a dark, sweet, moist, purple flesh inside.
Mission Figs are one of the most well know figs. They were named for the mission fathers who planted the fruit along the California coast. This fig is a deep purple which darkens to a rich black when dried.
Let’s all have a “figgy” day! What is your favorite fig recipe?
Today’s Lagniappe: Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese and Peppered Honey
I found this easy and yummy recipe at Epicurious.com
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 fresh figs
1/4 cup soft fresh goat cheese
Combine honey and pepper in small pitcher; stir to blend. Starting at stem end, cut each fig into quarters, stopping 1/2 inch from bottom to leave base intact. Gently press figs open. Spoon 1 teaspoon cheese into center of each. Arrange figs on platter; drizzle with peppered honey. – 4 Servings.
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday
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