FIGS!
I’ve lived in California for the last several years and am repeatedly surprised at the bounty of fruits and vegetables available year round. Last year, I moved to my current home. The property was a former orchard and still has an abundance of fruit trees. For several weeks this spring, I picked loquats from a tree outside my window everyday. There are also lemons, meyer lemons, avocados and oranges!
Did you know that figs are part of the Ficus family? I didn’t! When I think of Ficus, I think of office plants. However, Ficus Carica is a Asian species of flowering plants from the mulberry family, also known as the common fig (or just the fig). Figs are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and pantothenic acid and are only about 74 calories per 3.5 ounces.
Right now, figs are in season! California figs are available from June through September; some varieties with European origin are available through autumn. Of the many figs trees on the property, some had ripe fruit over a month ago. However, that fruit was fleshy and without much taste. The fig trees that are bearing ripe fruit right now are amazing! I’ve never had fresh picked figs before and wasn’t sure what to expect.
The figs that are ripe now are deliciously sweet, plump and juicy. The taste is different from the dried figs that I usually eat, it’s hard to describe, it’s not a fruity taste, but more of a soft deliciousness wrapped in a lovely deep purple fruit. I haven’t tried drying any yet. If the squirrels, my neighbors and I don’t eat them all, there may be some that dry naturally right on the tree!
Click on the “Favorite Recipes” tab above for some yummy ideas!
I found this graphic on Pinterest!