It’s autumn, and you know what that means- hooray! It’s FIG TIME!
OK, you’re probably scratching your head as very few people are as excited about this as I am. If you’re like me, you grew up with parents who introduced you to things like apples, bananas, and oranges. And that’s about it. We didn’t sample adventurous things like kiwi, papaya, guava, or figs. In fact, the only thing I associated with figs were Fig Newtons.
If you’re saying to yourself, but I don’t LIKE Fig Newtons, don’t stop reading. Fresh figs are nothing like fig newtons anymore than fresh grapes are like raisins (and I love grapes, and hate raisins.) Dried figs are intense, rich, cloyingly sweet. Fresh figs are just gorgeous fruity ripeness. I found this out a few months ago when I was at Whole Foods with my toddler. I was looking at them, wondering if I could do anything with them, when my daughter stuck her hand into a pint, squeezed, and necessitated my first purchase. I vaguely remembered seeing something about figs and goat cheese pairing well, so I grabbed some Humboldt fog and some crostini, and threw them all together at home. And I know we’ve all heard overly pompous cooking show personalities talking about singing tastebuds and all of that, but seriously, they really did. It was amazing. And I’m not the only one extolling their virtues- according to this article, figs are more popular than ever. Guess the word is out!
I spent the next 2 months waiting in vain for figs to arrive back in the store- as I was to find out, they have 2 harvests- one in late spring, and one in late summer. It’s prime time right now, especially if you live in California, home of the fig. They arrived here from Spain, but they have a long and illustrious place in history. There is even some debate as to whether the fig was the Forbidden Fruit in the Garden of Eden- and in that light the Bible makes a lot more sense to me, seeing as how I’m rather ambivalent about apples. And Bacchus himself is said to have introduced the fig to mankind- and if ever there was an ancient god after my own gluttonous heart, its that guy. Thank you, Bacchus.
So if you’re convinced and ready to go, but have no idea what to do with them, take heart. The links above provide plenty of recipes, from fig bars to cakes to stir fries. If you’re lazy like me, do what I did and slap em on a cracker (and don’t forget the goat cheese, they really are synergistic.) Get any kind you can get your hands on- Black Mission figs seem to be the most readily available in these parts, but they’re all good. If you’re lucky enough to find strawberry figs, grab them and stuff them in your cart as fast as you can. And don’t do what I did and leave them out overnight thinking they shouldn’t be refrigerated- they should. They are delicate, and if you wake up in the morning and find them molded over, you may just want to cry. Not that I would know or anything.
One last word to the wise, and I learned this only after the whole leaving-them-out-overnight thing. Not wanting them to go to waste, I ate a whole bunch at once for lunch. Did you know, as I did not, that the high fiber content of figs renders them capable of causing a mild laxative effect? So go easy, though it’s hard in the face of their fantastic figgy yumminess.
Bon appetit!
