Figs just keep ripening on my trees! How can I use them all?!

Here are some of the many ways we have of using figs. If you don’t have any fig trees, you can buy figs in the store during a very short season.

Why eat figs? According to recent studies, it is healthy to feed your gut bacteria many different foods to keep them thriving. The rule of thumb is 30 different fruits and vegetable a week (discussed in this post). Now be honest – when did you ever have more than about six different vegetables and fruits in a single week. Why not try some figs!

Figs in the Garden

I will confess that goodly number of figs from my trees never make it indoors. There is simply something so deeply soul (and Soule) satisfying about standing in the garden, the sun just starting to warm the sky, the birds calling from the trees, that gentle dawn breeze caressing my skin and bringing the scents of the desert to my nostrils. There I am, in the middle of it all, sinking my teeth into a freshly plucked fig and feeling incredibly blessed as the sweet flavor bursts in my mouth, filling my senses with delight in the moment.

Using Figs

Figs and Sharp Vermont Cheddar

It’s a simple appetizers that everyone loves. Online everyone raves about figs and goat cheese. I have a few problems with that. First is I don’t much like goat cheese – it’s too strong for my taste. Second is that I virtually always have some sharp cheddar in the house but rarely any other cheese – thus I wouldn’t have to run to town and spend money on gas. Speaking of spending money – goat cheese is expensive. So maybe if you have goats and some homemade goat cheese… but really, I think goat cheese overwhelms the subtle flavor of the figs.

Figs in Fresh Salad

Summer is not a time to turn on the stove in our home. We eat salads. Lots of salads. I add some figs to the salads and – Yum! Halved figs, with their honey-like sweetness, and soft texture go well when nestled among mixed greens. My favorite dressing for this is a simple balsamic drizzle over the whole dish. It’s a salad that is both refreshing and satisfying. For those that desire protein with their meal boiled eggs are a nice pairing.

You can make it more interesting with a sprinkle of chopped toasted almonds. This adds a nice crunch, making each bite an experience of textures. You can serve this salad alone as a meal or as a side to some grilled chicken for a more substantial meal.

Taste notes. I tried some candied pecans instead of almonds. Yes they crunched but the flavor did not go well with fig. Green Goddess dressing is not great on this salad.  Ideally a simple oil and vinegar or “Italian” dressing works.  Or try this Greek dressing we like.

Grilled Figs

Speaking of grilling, you can grill figs. The heat from the grill caramelizes the figs, enhancing their natural sugars. Whole figs have a short cooking time! Just enough to get warm and split the skins. This is about five minutes or “half a beer.”

It’s best to put the figs on skewers for ease of handling.

To make this more of a meal type dish – fold a piece of prosciutto between each fig. This adds some savory saltiness to the smoky sweetness of the figs. We tried this with the figs cut in half, and you have to be careful you don’t overcook or the figs fall off the skewers – hence whole figs.

For Lunch

Overall the flavor of figs pairs very well with salty prosciutto. You can add some cheese – like cream cheese – if you wish, or maybe lettuce as a quick lunch.

For Breakfast

Toss some figs in the blender. Add some milk, yogurt, nut juice, protein powder, what have you for a tasty morning smoothie. If you don’t do smoothies – like me – because I don’t like loud noises in the morning, you can still enjoy figs for breakfast. Just add them to yogurt. To get a little more trace minerals, add a sprinkle of barrel cactus seeds.

Because I also like to share what doesn’t work so you can learn from my mistakes, I am of the opinion that figs do not pair well with cottage cheese.  Sour cream yes.  Marscapone yes.  Cottage cheese not so much.

Store Figs for Later

Bumper crop of figs? Time to preserve the flavor. Fig jam. Fig preserves. Candied figs. Dried figs. Of all of these, the fastest and easiest freezing the figs. Next best is fig preserves.

Fig Preserves

No need for sugar because figs are so sweet. Just cut the figs in half and place in pot with some water in the bottom. Cook figs until soft and mushy. Mash with a potato masher. To can – place mashed figs in hot jars leaving 1 /2 inch head space. Water bath can. Time is 15 minutes for half pints, 20 minutes for pints.

This preserve can be used like jam on your morning toast, over ice cream, in a smoothie, to make luscious fig cake, fig tarts, and so much more.

Fig-sickles

Freeze your figs whole. I owe this idea to friend Brenda Lewis. (We have to share her delightful pickled fig recipe!) She casually told me to simply freeze the extra figs. So I did. They are so yummy as a summer cooling treat!

Simply put the figs on a wax papered cookie sheet into the freezer. Be sure they are not quite touching or else they freeze into a clump. Once they are frozen you can tip them into a freezer storage bag if you wish.

Rather than fuss with cookie sheets that need to be flat and level in a crowded and overfull freezer, you can use egg cartons instead. One fig per egg nest and into the freezer they go.  Come to think – this might also be a really handy way to take them for sale at a Farmers Market.  

Enjoy

Enjoy your figs in the wonderful summer fig season. Please do share with us how you use your figs!

Afterwards

I love alliteration and was trying to figure out how to have “Fifty Ways to Use Figs” and there are at least fifty ways – but that topic is too long for a single post. Besides, I need to take tons more photos. It might have to be our next cookbook instead.

Speaking of cookbooks do you have our Honey Cookbook yet? You could buy it from us but you could also head over to Mission Garden in Tucson and buy a copy from them. While you are there – check out the beautiful variety of fig trees they have!

Note that Mission Garden does occasionally offer plant propagation workshops and you could possibly get some cuttings of those lovely trees while you learn to grow your own!

 

Canning Guide

Ball Brothers has been publishing their “Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving Recipes” for many years.  The “modern” USDA has not tested some of the methods in this guide.  That means they do not “approve” of them.  If you are an experienced canner there are some tasty recipes in here to make.

This is a downloadable PDF offered for sale on my Gardening With Soule classes site.  You may see some other classes in there that interest you.

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Disclaimer

The authors of this website have researched the edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals, or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.