My grandma always had a couple of huge fig trees and, from what I remember from my childhood memories, there was always a bumper crop of figs. I love figs. I would just sit out under the tree and pick and eat, pick and eat, usually til I was sick . . and I would do that every day I was there when there were figs. My eating habits haven’t changed much through the years . . if I love something, I know no limits.
My parents may have had a little fig tree but I don’t remember them ever having tons of figs. Maybe my parents limited my consumption and my grandparents didn’t . . I don’t know.
I always planted a fig tree, along with a magnolia, when we lived where a fig had a chance of producing. That was not in Kentucky or MO so when we got to Texas, I think the first tree I planted was a fig and then a blog reader sent me some cuttings from a family member’s old tree. We’ve ended up with 10 fig trees and it’s the one over the septic tank that’s our great producer of figs. I keep telling Vince that since it’s growing over the field lines, the figs probably aren’t safe to eat so he shouldn’t eat them. You know me . . always watching out for others! 🙂 I’m not sure it’s the field lines or not because I water that fig tree almost every day.
Figs
We had such a mild winter that this is the first year that the tree didn’t freeze all the way back to the ground and start over so we’re getting figs about 6 weeks earlier than normal, and since it’s bigger and older, we’re getting way more than we’ve ever had before. In previous years, I’d stand out there and eat what I picked and we never had any to save but I’m putting about 2 cups per day in the freezer. That’s a lot of figs!
I want to make the strawberry/fig jam first, then I want to put some of them up for making fig spice cakes. Love those! I don’t think I could ever grow more figs than I would want and I’m so happy to be getting what looks to be a good crop. We should make figs til frost and the way it feels out there, we have a very, very long time til we can even think about frost.
I’m thankful for my fig trees!
Charlene says
And I consider myself lucky if I can find dried figs at Costco! Living in the north…..
Chris says
I’m so happy for you and your figs. I have a giant tree that always produces well but this year I fear I am going to be inundated! I’d love to know more about how you freeze your figs. I dry most of mine cut in half. I also make fig leather, yum! My favorite way to use figs is in this fresh fig bread with this recipe: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/2/Fresh-Fig-Bread114582.shtml
Even people who claim not to like figs love it. By the way, how is it possible not to like figs??
Can’t wait to hear how you freeze them.
JudyL says
Oh, that looks good! Thanks!
Theresa says
When I was a kid, I worked at my Aunt and Uncle’s restaurant several weekends each year. There was a loquat tree outside the back door and I took my breaks out under that tree, eating loquats. Yum!
Dorothy Matheson says
I have an old family recipe for pear fig filling (jam) and cookies where the jam is placed between two rounds and then baked. Oh that is the best warm cookie ever made. It takes a bunch of figs and pears to make it and I actually never have. For a while I could get fig jam and pear jam and mix it and make the cookies but haven’t even see any for years to buy of the jams.
Would you like the family recipe?
Judy H says
Down in my part of TX we have little brown turkey figs. Ours are about the size of a quarter but a friend’s tree has slightly larger ones. There is a window of about 3-4 days when the figs are ripe before birds clean the trees bare. I would LOVE to have larger figs on trees that produce as long as yours!
Teri Jordan says
Figs are my absolute favorite thing….A friends daughter makes a fig jam with raspberry wine, lavender buds and vanilla bean….it did not look good to me so I never used it…..until one day we had company and I put it out with some scones I made and now I’m sorry I shared…it was the best jam I have ever had…..maybe you can find a recipe for it on line…..it is so worth the trouble to make it…..
Linda "Cookie" Lawrence says
I was just getting ready to sit down and eat some figs. I am the same as you when it comes to figs. Don’t know when to stop. Enjoy!!!
Cookie in Mandeville Louisiana