La Montañita Co-op Blog

Getting Figgy With It

by Phil K. June 25th, 2010 | No Comments

What is up produce enthusiasts?!

First off, Summer’s here and that’s official. Second let me just say that if you haven’t stopped by the Co-op lately, what are you waiting for? It’s all here: peaches, nectarines, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, cherries, plums, green beans, blueberries, strawberries, apricots, corn, and finally, after what seems like an eternity, figs. The stone fruit has been very nice this year, and plums and peaches have been outstanding. Once again the Co-op has again lined up some great deals with local farms; soon we will all be feasting on apricots, cherries, donut peaches and peaches from a farm near you. As I understand it the fruit is ripening beautifully and we should all be in for a real treat.

Now's no time to skimp on your Stone Fruit anatomy.

Before I get into figs I would like to address some concern about stone fruit ripeness. It is a good idea to let your stone fruit sit out for a day or two. Softness is the key to flavor. You may not be able to find fruit ripe enough to enjoy today but trust me, if you can bear to let this beautiful fruit sit on your counter for a couple of days you will be rewarded. Patience is essential to fruit enjoyment.

Now, figs. Figs are an oddity, as they are not a true fruit. They are called inflorescence, which are flowers and fruits all in one. The fig is actually an inside-out flower made especially for very small wasps. The wasps enter though a small opening and pollinate from within. This particular inflorescence happens to be quite tasty.

Don't you want some dessert in your salad?

I was of course first exposed to figs at an early age in the traditional “Newton” form. I’ve been a fan ever since. And guess what? We don’t need to add all that extra sugar to enjoy figs; they make a great snack all by themselves. But if you’re daring, try them with some goat cheese and honey. Figs add a special something to salads, too. Just wash and quarter them and abracadabra, instant super-awesome salad. Balsamic vinaigrette goes well with a figgy salad, as do olives. Oh man, just writing about a salad with figs and olives gets my mouth a waterin’.

Though figs are sweet and fragrant, and used primarily for desserts, they also make an excellent entrée addition. Add chopped figs to pasta sauce, marinara or Alfredo; it doesn’t matter. Throw some figs into the rice water for out-of-this-world rice. Next time you’re grilling shish kabob, skewer a few figs. They also roast well; add them to roasting meats about 30 minutes before the meat is done. Pork, lamb, and poultry all go well with figs.

Domestic fig production dates back at least ten thousand years and may be in fact the first instance of agriculture. Humans were planting figs almost 1,000 years before wheat or barley. The oldest living plant of known planting date is a fig tree known as the Sri Maha Bodhi, planted in the temple at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka by King Tissa in 288 BC. Long have humans celebrated and revered this sacred (and sometimes forbidden) inflorescence. Come down to the Co-op and discover what all the fuss is about.