Here's a good question from reader Betsy. She writes:
I was very happy to receive some gorgeous figs in my CSA this week. How do I know when they're ripe? They're a light purple color with light-colored stripes (and they're still a little green). Should I let them ripen on the counter or in the fridge?
Betsy, we love figs! It's wonderful you get them in your CSA box.
Figs do not ripen very well once they've been picked, however. Your best chance for getting them to ripen a little more is to leave them on a sunny windowsill for about a day. Once they soften a little more, eat immediately! You can hold them for an extra day in the fridge, but they will spoil quickly.
Ripe figs shouldn't feel hard, like an apple or unripe plum. They should give slightly to pressure, but they shouldn't be extremely soft or mushy. The best ripe figs are smooth and firm, holding their shape when sliced, but tender throughout and very sweet.
We recommend eating them fresh and raw with a soft cheese and some bread. Or you can roast them with rosemary and honey for a rich, sweet appetizer.
What are some of your favorite ways to use figs, and do you have any other advice for Betsy?
Related: Recipe: Fig and Lavender Goat Cheese Galettes
(Image: Faith Durand)
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Figs wrapped in prociutto and roasted. It's unbelievably good.
There was also a lovely fig and mascarpone tart recipe in some newspaper last year. Googling should bring it up. It's the one with the balsalmic glaze.
I like to toss them with olive oil, honey and vanilla then roast them. I serve them with toasted pine nuts and peppered ricotta with flatbreads.
Martha Stewart's brown butter, fig and basil pasta with hazelnuts is heavenly, too.
Are figs still in season? I can"t find them anywhere. My CSA box had them a few weeks ago, and I'm left craving more.
Figs are in season as long as its warm/hot---depends if you got that 80 degree heat wave this weekend or not, and of course where you live.
Thank you! Ive been wanting to try figs, but not sure how to tell if they were ripe.
The only time a fig is ripe is when it begins to droop from the branch; once they ripen, their lifespan is measured in hours. Figs don't ripen after they're picked; they only dry out, much like an apple left in the fruit bowl a month too long.
If you live above zone 7, there's no chance your figs were grown locally. Fig trees are not hardy below 26 degrees F or so. Where I am in Atlanta is just about the northernmost point (outside of Cali and other climates tempered by the sea) that fig trees can grow. Still, nary a year goes by that I don't I have to trim back the dead tips of the branches every spring due to cold damage.
I'm lucky enough to have a fig tree in my backyard, and I can literally only eat figs for three days out of the year (and that's only if I pick them a day or two early). After that, the birds and squirrels descend on the tree like raving banshees and consume the entire crop in less than twelve hours--literally.
Imagine going to work with a full fig tree waiting for you at home, just waiting for some aged balsamic and a Rogue Creamery blue, only to come home and find that every single fig is gone. This is the true meaning of the word "disappointment".