Figs 101!

We have a wonderful fig tree! It started out about 6 years ago as a shoot growing next to my parent's fig tree. We arrived home from a visit with this "stick" in a pot. The first two years after we transplanted our "stick" it died back completely to the ground each winter. We were surprised in the spring to see it emerge and leaf out again. Finally the third year it didn't die back, just lost its leaves after the first frost. The fourth year it started producing figs. Now, I can hardly keep up with the figs. I can pick as much as 3 pounds a day!

When I first started harvesting figs, I dried them. I cut little circles and loaded the circles into the dehydrator. I would freeze the packages of dried fruit and munch on them all winter. The problem was that I was the only one who would eat them! The were very hard on the outside and tough to chew. This year I decided to do something different....fruit leathers!

I looked up information and found that figs freeze quite nicely. I decided I wanted to freeze them separately so I could take out the amount I wanted to use each time. I washed the figs, cut them in halves (ants can track in mold spores, so I cut them open to make sure they are free of ants and mold), and put them on a sheet of plastic wrap spread on a tray. Next I put the tray in the freezer for a couple hours then put the individually frozen pieces in a freezer bag. Each day I followed this routine, adding fruit to the bag until it was full.

A few days ago I happen to throw a couple of frozen figs along with a frozen banana in my smoothie. It was so yummy! I may not have as many fruit leathers as originally planned!

To be continued......

Our fig tree.

Lots of figs!

Cut off stem and cut in half.

Place fig halves on a tray covered in plastic wrap.

Place the figs in the freezer.

Put the individually frozen figs in a freezer bag.

If you have no self control, make smoothies out of the frozen figs!
(vanilla yogurt, frozen banana, vanilla almond milk, two frozen figs)