Off I went for some fig shopping. How excellent that my local produce market had not only the standard Black Missions but also a variety I had never tasted but had seen in The New York Times food section, the Candy Stripe. And how also excellent that, unlike the unfortunate people of New York,* I paid a mere $8 a pound for them. That said, I think $8 a pound for figs is really a lot, and I only bought four.
There they are, along with some Black Missions, one of the varieties we have growing in our yard. If we get enough heat to ripen what we have on the branches now, we'll be happily swimming in figs in the fall.
My verdict on the two figs: Those Candy Stripes are undeniably lovely, but their taste is not nearly as jammy and earthy as the Mission and reminds me of a Kadota. Nice, but overall I like the cheap fig** better.
You heard it here.
* They paid $19.99 a pound. I know: just plain silly.
** Right now they're at just under $3 a pound, which means I will buy them for general eating but will wait until they are closer to $1 a pound to make jam.
5 comments:
HA! That is my take on baking too:) I love it, but try to give most of it away. Thanks for the fig review.
Hey, I have a fig tree in my Seattle back yard. I am confused by figs - mine don't seem to ripen until the following spring. And, I don't know how to eat them - with the skin? must be cooked? do you eat the seeds? Please educate me Mrs Fig! :)
I'm not a big raw fig fan. However, I adore dried mission figs and keep thinking about experimenting with drying them. A lot of fruit, when dried at home, becomes very tough. I grew up eating mission figs dried and they were always sticky lush rich tasting fruits. I want that. Must do more research. I can actually grow figs here.
Have you ever tried drying yours?
hmmm, looks yummy! thanks for sharing, nice photo!
Angelina: Never tried it. They don't last long enough around our house for that!
ksk: Funny you get them in the spring--guess it's the difference in season timing. Yes--eat them skins, seeds and all, when they are so ripe they're almost mushy. We eat a lot of them raw, but I also use them in a glazed pork chop recipe and make jam. Enjoy yours!
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