SECOND & SWEETER FIG CROP

Now is the best time of the year to eat fresh figs. The first crop arrives in June and hasn't developed the honey sweetness we associate with a delicious fig. There is a brief break during July before the 2nd crop arrives around the end of July/early August. Figs develop their peak flavor from the middle of August to around the middle of September. In our opinion it is worth waiting for that delicious, incredibly rich and sugary fig.

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.  Figs are still 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.

Figs need the hot Mediterranean weather to grow. The sweet spot is between 85 to 105 degrees. When temperatures go above 105 degrees the tree goes into shock and shuts down to survive. The fig season continues through September as long as the weather holds.

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

FIG VARIETIES

Sierra: Light-colored green skin with a fresh, sweet flavor.

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.

Black Mission: Purple and black skin with strawberry- colored flesh. Rich and sweet with a hint of berry flavor.