Last year I was moaning on here about how much I really didn’t like figs. I don’t want to say this out loud, but there’s a chance that I’m slowly becoming accustomed to their strangeness. I’m still not a big fan but I’ve found ways to make figs work for me and mostly I think that involves taking away a lot of the figginess. I’ve struggled to find different fig recipes over the last couple of years. I like to take away the texture and disguise some of the flavour but most recipes celebrate the unique qualities of this funny fruit and it was tricky finding a selection that suited my tastes.
When properly ripe, figs are quite soggy, they have what I can only describe as a pappy texture. They also taste mega sweet and leave behind that sugary after taste that real ribena has (or old chewing gum), I’m guessing that’s fructose! As much as I am not keen, I still can’t leave them on the tree so, as well as giving them away, I’ve found some recipes that work for me: a non lover of figs…
(I spend every other day wobbling on a giant step ladder, reaching dangerously high to grab at all the ripe fruit I can find. I have no idea why I go to such lengths, I guess I don’t like to see them go to waste).
Fig Recipes:
This one is by far my favourite fig recipe. It takes quite a bit of bubbling but I’ve been highly rewarded. Especially yesterday when I had some with cheese and crackers. It’s even better this year. The only change I made to this recipe was swap raisins for apple. I had cox growing in the garden too and thought to use those rather than buying more ingredients. I’m not a very tidy chutney potter/canner, so it seems.
A weird one this and they do have a medicinal quality. But I kept going back for more so that must mean something. Very easy to do and I was surprisingly impressed by such a simple thing.
I was dubious about this one but honestly there are so few ingredients that I think I was just being stupid and lazy. I haven’t made this for a couple of years so this year will see its return (today is probably a fig picking day actually and by chance I have limes in the fruit bowl – they were for mojitos but I’ll make the sacrifice). I love the citrus in it. I love lime!
I’m cheating with this one, I’ve not made this recipe yet! But the kids have asked for fig rolls and these have got toffee in them so they can’t be that bad!
If anyone has any other fig recipes they’d like to suggest, do let me know. I’m trying to think of boozy things but I’ve got nothing at the moment.
I’ll be saying goodbye to figs next year. This tree is far too big for its boots and we’re going to chop it. It needs a good pruning. I think you’re supposed to do that in January. As figs grow from the previous year’s twigs that means no figs for at least a year. However, I think it’s safe to assume that I won’t really mind!
Thanks for those tips, we have a few gigs to harvest from our new tree and I’m not a huge fan either.. These could well come in useful 😊
Glad I’m not the only one! Let me know what you end up doing with yours!
I will do 🙂
*figs not gigs!!!
Figs and goats cheese are a great combination – the tart cheese counteracts the sweetness of the figs. P.S. I love figs in any incarnation:)
I’ve tried it but I’m not keen. It took me a few years to get my head around goat’s cheese too (it’s very goaty!). I love it in an autumnal butternut squash tart though, with lots of caramalised onion. Looking forward to baking some of that!
We have an out of control fig tree in our garden which is going to be seriously pruned once this year’s crop is harvested! Like Sewchet I really love figs – and especially with goats cheese – but the sticky toffee fig rolls sound good!
I hope I get round to making the fig rolls because it’ll be a long wait until the next opportunity. The branches are rubbing holes in the shed roof, it’s desperate for a trim.
Not sure if there is a recipe but figs soaked in marsala or any sweet wine are delicious and seriously yummy over ice cream 🙂
interesting…
So envious! Husband and I shared the single fig to survive our unseasonal hailstorms. Our tree is only 4 years old so we live in hope.
I think my tree has been in situ for about twenty years (so the neighbours told me) but the one next door to us was the same age and was a bit less fruity…
I’ve never lived anywhere with fig trees so I’ve never had this problem. I love that you won’t waste them even if you don’t like them!
I will eat a fig roll if there is nothing else otherwise they are not really for me, are they something you can just wack in the freezer and do something clever with later?
Luckily my brother has been to stay at our house whilst we were on holiday. He appears to have eaten plenty. I’ve got fig chutney in the cupboard and fig sorbet in the freezer. They could probably be stewed or put in a crumble from frozen but that does not appeal :/