MAIN CROP OF FIGS
The second crop of figs have the rich honey sweetness we associate with delicious figs. Figs love the hot days and warm nights and are grown mainly in the central valley around the Fresno/Madera area to up north of Sacramento in Corning. Maywood Farms in Corning, CA, and Stellar in Madera, CA in the central Joaquin Valley, bring you some of the best organic figs. The fig season continues through September as long as the weather holds.
Figs have been around for thousands of years and are believed to have originated in Eastern Asia, spreading through all of Europe and eventually brought to California by the missionaries in 1769. By 1867 there were over 1,000 acres of fig trees in the Sacramento Valley and 35 acres in the San Joaquin Valley. California ranks #1 in US production of figs and produces 100 % of the USA’s dried figs and 98 % of fresh figs.
Buying Figs
Look for the figs that are not too hard and not too soft. A fig that is too firm is an indication that it was harvested too immature. Figs are the only fruit that ripens on the tree. Once the fruit is picked that is as sweet as it’s going to get.
Storing Figs
We recommend that you don’t refrigerate your figs. Buy only what you can eat within 2-3 days and buy often. Place them on a counter on a cotton cloth and let them dry up a little bit. The flavors and the sugars will become more concentrated and intense. They are like honey nectar!
Fun Facts
Figs are considered a fruit, but the fig is actually a flower that is inverted into itself
California produces 90% of the fresh figs grown in the United States
Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Kadota and Adriatic Figs
Common Fig Varieties
Black Mission: The most common variety with deep purple to black skin, watermelon to pink colored flesh and good flavor. They are delicious eaten fresh or dried.
Excel: Similar to the Kadota with yellow green skin and sweet light amber flesh. The shape is blocky with almost no neck. They are great for eating fresh or used for cooking.
Brown Turkey: Large sized fig with a brownish-dark purple skin, light pink flesh and a mild flavor. They are commonly used in desserts.
Kadota: Has thick light green skin with sweet white flesh tinged pink at the center.
Adriatic: Light green or yellowish skin with beautiful strawberry colored flesh.
Find fig recipe inspiration on the California Fig website https://californiafigs.com/