Topic: Fig tree

[Borlotti]

That may seem a very stupid question, but my fig tree has figs on it.  Gave some away, but man said they weren't ripe yet.  I have split a couple of very soft ones but tasted it, but not sure I like it.  Can I cook them, do they taste better, or do I not like figs.  Which bit do you eat if raw all the seeds.  Every other year the birds are eaten them, it does seem a shame to waste them, maybe next door would like them as she is Greek and has more experience of them.  Just trying to change subject as fed up with the news.  My plum tree has plums for the first time but they have white sticky bits on them, I will have to spray it next year.

[grannyjanny]

Hope all's well with you & yours Borlotti ;D.

[antipodes]

AAAAAHHHHH figs! Food of the gods! It sounds very early to me, they will be very soft when ripe and fall off the tree or at just a touch. The fruit is melting and tender and sweet when ready.
Some people cut and scoop them, like a kiwifruit but I eat them whole. The seeds are tiny and just disintegrate as you eat them.
They are extremely nice cooked. You can make excellent jam, or fig liqueur, lovely in pies and crumble with apples or pears and walnuts,  or just cook them, caramelised and serve with cream or ice cream. They are great also used as you would use prunes in cooking, so with chicken or pork in savoury dishes. You can freeze them and use them later in cooking.

[Obelixx]

I reckon mine are ripe when they turn purple and feel soft.  I eat the whole thing straight from the plant.

However, I do find they have less taste than the ones you get fresh down nearer the Med so it's probably a question of lacking hot sun.  You can eat them fresh in salads with young goat's cheese and instead of melon with Parma type ham.   They're also good as tarts - uncooked soft fruits on a  pastry and/or crème anglaise base - or split vertically in 4, drizzle with a bit of runny honey, poke a pecan nut or walnut down the middle and bake or grill to serve with ice cream.

[saddad]

Assuming you mean "clear" sticky bits on your plums... you can ignore it...  :)

[banksy]

We have a fig tree on the patio in the back garden, although I could not tell you what variety it is.  It grows against a south facing wall and the fruits always ripen well.  We also leave them until they are as black/mauve as possible before they fall off.  The OH eats the lot, but I prefer to just scoop the insides out.  Ours are very sweet, so we eat them just as they are without adding anything. 

Current crop is ripening now, I put that down to the good spring we had this year.  The second flush of figs may even ripen this year if we get a good late summer  ;D



Iain