See those leaves up there?
Well, technically they are in our backyard year-round. What is not there year-round are those plump, light green balls of figlish deliciousness you see buried among them.
You know, figs are the summertime fruit here in bella Calabria … in fact, they are so popular, people have been known to beg, steal or borrow them from our their neighbor’s yard. But no. I’m no, I’m not bitter.
Lucky for me, we have plenty to go around.
Unluckily for me, it took me a couple of summers of seeing ’em before I tried them. Back in the states, the closest I had gotten to a fig was the newton and well, justice was not done.
Last summer, I gave in and can I just tell you, it was a loooong 11 months before they came back.
My favorite way to eat figs, besides after lunch, dinner or as a snack, is as part of a healthy breakfast. And since a typical Italian breakfast normally consists of coffee and a pastry, this summertime treat is a welcome change for my ever-widening backside.
Here is what you do.
1. Go in your backyard, or your neighbor’s backyard, or the market, or the grocery store and gather up some of the best figs you can find.
2. Peel them, slice them and place them on a plate with a couple of slices of fresh Italian bread.
3. Enjoy!
Do you like figs? What is your favorite way to eat them?
You could make some preserves by boiling them with some super sugary water. I don’t actually know a recipe, but Taylor’s mom used to make them.
I think my aunt used to make them, too. Someone sent me a recipe for a fig drink… I’ll try it and let you know!
.-= andrea´s last blog ..Showered with Love – Part 2 =-.
Lucky you to have such great fig trees. I like to make fig jam, then use them in a crostata. But eating them fresh out of hand with some cheese is terrific too.
I’ve never really been a big fan of fig jam or preserves, but maybe I should try it again?!?
.-= Ciaochowlinda´s last blog ..Homage to Julia =-.
Love, love, love figs! I like them right off the tree or as fig perserves placed on top of a warm biscuit. YUM!
Yum … biscuits!
I love figs. I can only eat them in Italy though. I find they aren’t as juicy and sweet here. Do you like the red ones or the green ones best? I’m partial to the green.
Well right now I am into the green ones, but that is just b/c our red ones aren’t ready yet. 🙂
.-= LuLu´s last blog ..Remember Me? =-.
I love figs. At one time you could hardly find them in my part of Canada, but now more and more are being shipped in from California. When I buy too many to eat fresh, I use the rest to make a very sweet and moist fig cake.
Sounds good. I think I am gonna start looking for some new recipes so I can use ours!!
so jealous! … figs and bread is so Calabrese!! I love it!
Don’t be jealous, Joe. I’ll have some for you, too!
.-= joe@italyville´s last blog ..Brand Italy – Big Brands in the Wrong Places =-.
This year has been strange for our fig tree in Houston. We had an ENORMOUS crop, but it never ripened… just disappeared. I’m pretty sure the birds didn’t get them – I never even found a partially eaten one. Could be that the dry weather just never allowed them to mature.
I’m sorry about the crop failure because fresh figs are awesome.
Oh no, that is terrible. Come to Calabria-I’ll share!
.-= AmyEmilia´s last blog ..my assistant =-.
My fig tree is full of figs this year, it’s beautiful. I just hope with the weather we’ve been having in Jersey, they ripen…we shall see. Do figs grow well in Texas, I’d imagine…
You know I vaguely remember a fig tree in my grandparent’s yard when I was younger. Either I never tried them or tried them and didn’t like them …
I love to take figs, stuff them with gorgonzola, wrap them in a slice of provolone and wrap it again with a strip of center cut bacon. Put a toothpick in and line them up on a cookie [pan], drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top and then broil till golden brown, YUM!
I had fig grappa once when I lived in Italy, pretty good but stout.
I have had 2 harvests of figs this year each time over 5 gallons off one tree! And now I am waiting on the next batch to ripen.
I am not much into jam, but have made several confections with them I don’t think anyting with figs can taste bad!