Last night, just before heading to bed, I wandered into the kitchen to finish the last of the clean up and get a glass of water. I was a little hungry, so in search of one final nibble, I flipped open the plastic pack of figs I had purchased at Whole Foods earlier in the evening. They were green figs, and didn't look particularly ripe, but they were on sale and I've never been able to resist figs on sale, so they had gone into my basket.
Picking one up, it was softer and heavier than I had anticipated. There was a small pool of sweet, sticky fig nectar on the bottom of the container (I know that sounds gross, but it was wonderful). Suddenly, I knew that I was in for a treat. I took a bite and leaned back against the dishwasher, needing to just enjoy the deliciousness of it and think of nothing else. I stood there in my kitchen as minutes passed, wallowing in the taste experience of two really amazing figs. For those of you who think of figs as nothing more than the filling for pale, squishy cookies, I beg of you. Go get yourself some ripe figs. They are in season (at least in the Northern hemisphere) and they don't last long.
*Yes, I have been reading the new collection of essays entitled Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant. If you haven't been, you really should be.
Photo by Marisa McClellan
8-24-2007 @1:20PM anita said... Northern hemisphere, maybe? :)
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8-24-2007 @7:14PM bdw said... My wife and I went to NYC for our honeymoon fifteen years ago in late June. We were able to buy small sacks of twenty fresh black figs for two dollars from street vendors, and ate quite a few bags. Now any time I see them for sale, I buy two or four, just for the memories.
My grandmother had a white (green) fig tree in her back yard in Palm Springs, Ca, and would bring them out to us in Colorado when she visited. This was almost 50 years ago, and was the first time I had ever eaten them; no one else in my neighborhood had ever had them, so it was a definite treat. We went out one summer when the fruit ripe and the tree was heavy, and we ate our fill, the only time I have ever said "enough" about fresh figs. Grandmother also cooked them in a compote, but they were way better raw.
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8-24-2007 @2:06PM MJ said... I swear I could almost taste it from your describing it! Always thought figs should be brown when ripe!
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8-24-2007 @2:16PM Gregory Morris said... I've always been a huge fan. Growing up in West Virginia, we always had fig trees around our house. They took a lot of special care (covering them in the winter, etc.) but every fall we had piles of figs.
Now I live in Florida, where figs grow great, but the bugs and birds will get 'em before you can pick 'em. All the fresh figs I've ever gotten at the grocery store were terrible compared to good, fresh, ripe, fruit right off the tree.
MJ - different kinds of figs. The common Turkish figs are brownish purple when ripe. White figs are still green when ripe, although the turn purplish with time.
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8-24-2007 @3:10PM MoMack said... So, Marisa, did you brush your teeth before you went to bed?
-Your Dad
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8-24-2007 @4:30PM wynk said... I bought a pound and a quarter of Mission figs from Central Market the other day as a treat to myself. I ate most of them that day...some I ate whole on the way back and some I sliced up and ate with cheese. There is no fruit I love more than a rip fig. Someday I will have my own tree. :D
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8-24-2007 @6:01PM Janis said... I just finished "Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant" today----highly recommend the book!
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8-25-2007 @7:28AM Sally said... My grandparents had a fig tree in their yard (and yes the leaves were big enough that you could clothe yourself in a couple of them!). I don't know what the variety was but the figs were sort of a deep purple when ripe.
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8-24-2007 @7:38PM Silver_Potato said... I grew up with a fig tree in my backyard, so I totally understand how awesome a ripe fig is.
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8-25-2007 @12:07AM Trisha Smith said... My friend and I picked some a couple of weeks ago at a local orchard and made fig preserves. YUM! I love to add vanilla to them while they are cooking. It brings out the smooth caramel and somewhat maple flavor in them. I made a big batch of homemade buttermilk biscuits, buttered some while they were hot and put some of the fig preserves on them! Now, that is a real delight!!
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8-25-2007 @11:51AM Dr. Electro said... I once got caught alone in the kitchen with a shallot. I was using it to try and hide my ice cream! :D
I lived in a little house that had a big fig tree beside the front door. It was an awesome producer of delightfully tasty figs. Same as Florida it had to be guarded closely to protect it from birds and bugs. We got plenty of cooperation from most of the neighbors, including my father who lived in the next block. There were always enough figs to share.
One thing we did was wait until the first little pips showed up. Then we measured the tree and made a net to throw over it. We kept out most of the flying fig raiders that way. I don't know if anyone else anywhere would or could go to such labor-intensive measures now. It might be hard to enlist any help at all from the neighbors.
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8-25-2007 @11:58AM MJ said... Thanks #3 I have learned something more! So jealous of you who have the fig trees. Things always taste better off the tree.#9 I agreee with the vanilla being added great stuff. And for the hot buttered biscuits.....This is just torture. Someone send me some figs please!!!!!
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8-25-2007 @4:10PM totoro said... i love grilled figs...the "sweet sticky fig nectar" actually gets caramelized over the fire, making them crunchy and delicious...almost worth sneaking outside and firing up the grill even in the middle of the night.
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8-25-2007 @8:00PM Kim Carlson said... Hi Marisa: I'm a big fan of all your posts but this one was really delicious (it probably helps that I'm a big fan of fresh figs too). I always have to battle the raccoons for the figs that hang over the fence from my neighbor's tree, but it's worth the effort trying to outsmart them. Glad too, that you like the book "Alone in the Kitchen . . . " I know you caught the essay we published on Culinate that Erin Erginbright contributed to the book: http://www.culinate.com/read/first_person/eating_alone. Thanks for that mention, a few weeks back. Cheers!
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8-26-2007 @7:24AM Purple Woman said... What a great idea. That is a catchy title that I've not heard of. Love eggplant as well...but, I picked up an interesting recipe at the local farmer's market here for grilled figs with goat cheese and prosciutto. Gotta try that tomorrow!
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8-29-2007 @8:30PM eva treva said... I have my own fig tree in the garden. i must say, not only it tastes heavenly, it also looks more artistic than any other fruit tree (or maybe i`m just imagining?)... ta di dah - ta di dah...
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