Now Bring Us Some Figgy Blogging

Every year, at about this time, we get a call from our friend Suzette. "The figs are ripe." Suzette's family has a giant, prolific fig tree, far too much fruit for her family alone. If Jon isn't busy, he'll jump on his bike immediately to go get some. This year, he waited about 24 hours, then loaded the kids up on the "SUV" (our bike with the Jubi seat on the handlebars and Zephyr's trail-a-bike on the back.) He came home with a few bags full.

In previous years, I've been a little scared of the figs. Have you seen one of these guys? I'll tell you this, the only way I saw a fig growing up was in the middle of a store-bought newton. I think I dared my mother to try one once when she was visiting during fig season. I'll usually eat one or two, but that's it. They intimidate me, somehow.

Jon says they've found fig fossils that are 100 million years old, and they haven't changed. And they're basically an inside-out flower. Also from Jon's mental fig archives is this: if you catch a bug and put it inside a fig, the fig's enzymes will dissolve it. Maybe it's with good reason that I approach figs with fear and trepidation.

I was on the phone wishing my Grandma Dorothy a happy 82nd birthday yesterday, and told her about our figs. "Well, what do they look like?" she asked. I repeated her question to myself, trying to come up with the right words, when Zephyr spoke up. "They're like a tiny pear that has turned into a berry." That's a pretty darn good description.

Jon touts the digestive, nutritional, and preventative powers of fig enzymes, but they also cause the fruit to have an incredibly short shelf life. After we all stuffed ourselves silly, the remainder began to leak all over the counter, so I knew it was time for action. My box of Pomona's Pectin had a fig jam recipe, and toast can get pretty dry around here, so I went for it. I simultaneously cooked some down to use in place of apple butter in this recipe, and it was very, very good. Jon and Zephyr are talking about going fig picking again tomorrow. Jon wants to try drying some. And I want to try this recipe for Fig and Ginger Jam.

I'm sure there will be plenty. Want to come try one? I dare you.