We have all sorts of electronic substitutes these days. We push a button and things happen, things appear. We can bank on-line. We can borrow a book through the Kindle service. We can send an e-mail.
But it’s not real money, not a real book, and not a real letter. We’ve trained ourselves to accept the electronic substitute and taught ourselves to believe it costs us less, although usually it does not. Not if we think about all the real costs.
Anyway, I’ve been picking figs, lately, and the only, ONLY, ONLY way to get a fig that is still warm from hanging in the sunshine is to get up out of a chair, go outdoors, walk over to the tree, reach up, grab ahold, and pull a fig off the branch.
And it is worth all that incredible effort. A warm, ripe fig is a soft and squishy confection, what some might call “deliciously juicy”. Softer than a banana, sweeter than a strawberry, not sticky like caramel, yet reminiscent of all three, a fig can only truly be compared to another fig.
Oh yes — worth it.
And the people who like a fig enough to plant the tree, or to get off that chair and go on out there, or to cut the stems off the fruit and get out some canning jars, or to stir some canned fig into a cake batter — they’re worth it, too.
These are the kitchen people. The real butter people. The whole wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and home-grown eggs people. If offered store-bought, um, we really don’t mind fasting that much.
Got figs? Get these recipes!
MYO Fig Bars
2 c. chopped figs, stems removed
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. honey
2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
Boil until clear. Cool.
Dough:
1/2 c. butter
2 small eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. honey
1/2 tsp. soda
2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
Cream butter and honey. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add flour and soda (sifted together).
Press half of dough into 9×13 pan. Spread fig filling evenly over dough. Roll remaining dough on wax paper and flip onto top of filling. Press gently. Mark bars by cutting through top, slightly. Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned. Cool. Cut bars. Better than you-know-what.
Fig Bread
3 eggs
2 1/2 c. sugar
2 c. mashed, ripe figs
3/4 c. very fine olive oil
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 c. chopped pecans
Beat sugar into eggs. Add figs and oil. Sift together dry ingredients. Add to figs, alternately, with buttermilk. Beat well. Fold in pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour in greased and floured loaf pans. Yields 3 loaves.
Have fun!
Home's Cool! 
I’m not a big fan of figs as of yet, by maybe with these recipes.
Well, those who have a tree usually can use a new recipe! I picked 3 gallons yesterday, and there are many more waiting to ripen.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting! 🙂
🙂
Our neighbor has a fig tree and one came ripe last week on our side of the fence. As they were away from home for an extended period, I picked it and shared it with the family. I have had dried figs before, but never fresh one, and the difference is remarkable.
When I was a child, my dad received a gift of dried fruit every year from his boss. All of us children liked the dried figs the least.
But fresh — I have a hard time leaving them alone! 🙂
Oh I really wish I could make a fig pop out of your fax!
But…well, I haven’t got any figs, you may not have a fax, and, well, as you say – you can’t fax a fig!
😀
The point was some things have to be done the old fashioned way, with our hands and feet, person to person. I love that even more than I love the figs!
So sorry I cannot run over and bring you a gallon or so! 😉
By the time figs get to us they are squished up in a biscuit – a “fig roll”.
I have never eaten one. (A fig or a fig roll)
I love figs. I have figs and we have been hoping for a recipe for our OWN FIG BARS.
Thank you.
Karen
Be expecting a surprise soon.
Glad you could use some recipes!
I love figs, but I haven’t managed to wrestle any away from the birds, yet. We need to put up more nets on the fruit. But when I do, I’ll have to use these recipes. 😉
My husband says: Net is cheap; figs expensive! 😉