Fig Trees Are Not Just for the Mediterranean

I thought I'd show you something else that we grow, here.

These are our two fig trees. They were both supposed to be a variety called Brown Turkey. Our experience with the figs tells us that only one is Brown Turkey and we don't really know what the other one is.

Our trees produce two crops per year. The first crop will ripen in mid July, and this crop will continue for about 2-3 weeks. We typically get about 30 to 40 ripe figs in this first crop.

I had never had a fresh fig before growing these trees. My daughter-in-law tells me that our tree-ripe figs are more firm than figs from the market. My guess is market figs have been sitting around for a few days. My son and daughter-in-law were thrilled when we gave them the leftover fresh figs last summer when they were over for a late lunch one afternoon. 

Some folks cook with the ripe figs. We just eat them fresh because they are simply that good.

The second crop doesn't ripen in my yard, instead it leaves us with an abundance of green figs in late September or early October. They are full-sized, just not ripe. I make the green figs into jam, sweet pickles, and whole preserved figs. In a pinch, we've substituted green fig jam for sweet pickle relish on hot dogs. Otherwise, the jam is delicious on soft cheese, like cream cheese or brie, along with some crackers. The sweet pickles are a nice accompaniment to a meal. And the whole preserved figs are a dessert, very nice alongside rice or tapioca pudding, or with a slice of plain cake.

This is a bowl of sweet fig preserves. Their flavor goes well with lemon, cloves, and cinnamon. I made several jars of these preserves last October and have been enjoying them this winter and spring.

Our two fig trees are planted up against the house on the south side, where they benefit from the sun's warmth. That particular spot is just outside the laundry room. I'm sure the dryer vent helps with the warmth a bit in winter. Our house is situated on the highest part of our lot. In winter, the cold air slides down the slope into the lower parts of the yard. So the spot up against the house is likely the only spot figs would grow on our lot. 

Figs don't like  temperatures below about 10 degrees F. Most years, we don't go below 20 degrees F. In colder areas, folks have had success growing figs in large pots, then bringing them indoors during winter. 

Of course, figs also have value for their leaves. In addition to making impromptu clothing or for pasting onto a statue, the leaves can be used for steaming fish, meats, rice and vegetables in place of sheets of parchment. The leaves can also be used as wraps for baking cheese or fruits (apricots and plums). The leaves are edible and good sources of Vitamins A, B1, and B2, calcium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, and iron. The flavor of the cooked leaves has been described as a bit like coconut. And lastly, the leaves are large and flat, making them ideal to place decoratively under meats or cheese on a charcuterie tray.

You know, I never would have guessed that you could grow figs in the Pacific Northwest. There is so much that we can't grow here, so this one was a surprise.