The fig tree is loaded with fruit and starting to ripen now. Soon we'll be enjoying buttery sauted figs on ice cream, figs served with flavorful cheese and crackers, fig cake, fig preserves, fig chutney, pickled figs, dried figs. We have plenty of figs ... enough to share with the bugs and the birds - including the chickens! During fig season, the fig tree is one of their favorite hang-out spots during free-range time.
We're not sure where this fig tree came from! Our first guess would be that we transplanted a volunteer from my father-in-law's garden to our property, but neither my husband nor I have any recollection of doing that. Plus, it grew up in a less-than-ideal shady location. Who would have chosen to plant it there? Yet it has done well. And since we removed the large oak tree near the shed allowing more sun exposure, it has flourished, growing into a lovely sprawling shrub with twisting branches wider than they are tall.
The common fig bears a first crop, the breba crop, in the spring on last season's growth. This year's breba crop was unremarkable. I think I picked two figs. The second crop is borne on the new growth in the fall and is known as the main crop. I'm picking the main crop now. The figs pictured here have been washed, stemmed, and quartered ... prepared for the preserving pot. Fig preserves are our favorite!
Wondering if figs are "good" for you? Although figs have the highest sugar content of any common fruit (55% natural sugar), they are a good source of dietary fiber. In fact, the amount of fiber found in figs is higher than that found in oranges, apples, or bananas. Fresh figs are rich in iron, calcium, vitamin A, and potassium. They have some vitamin C (not much but it helps), and are also a good source of manganese. All this while being fat free and low in sodium. Eat figs with confidence!
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