My New BFF
(Garden • Recipes)
That would, of course, be Best Fig Forever, right?
This is it, but unfortunately I can’t tell you the exact variety. Nick and I planted it about three and a half years ago on the north end of our little back garden, at the top of the hill overlooking the river. Drainage is good and it gets a fair amount of sun, although a couple of scraggly pecan trees that have to go are encroaching on that sunlight.
I bought it online, at the same place as the fig tree out front, which produces large greenish-yellow marshmallowy fruit the size of tennis balls.
This one produces not-quite-as-large purple-black fruit with almost red inner flesh that’s dryer than either the unnamed front variety or the fruit from our giant 40-year-old Texas Everbearing tree.
I would say the fruit has similarities to Mission figs. While my memory is full of holes, I do recall that the tree was said to be dwarf, but that its dwarfishness was predicted to end after the second or third year. That’s happened, and what was a little tree of about 10 feet last year has gained two or three feet in height, pushed up additional sub-trunks and, best of all, really begun putting out the fruit.
We were surprised. So surprised that I didn’t put up any bird netting. Last year the “harvest” was minimal. But beginning in the fall, this tree pushed out some fruit along the main trunks. They survived the winter and ripened early in the spring. Then the tree began pushing out a lot of fruits near the ends of the branches. These took a long time to ripen.
Which was great, as it turned out. The Texas Everbearing figs came on beginning the first week of July, followed by a huge crop of yellow-green figs out front starting about 10 days later. Now that both of those are pretty much done with, our newly prolific black-fig tree presented us (and still is presenting us) with a harvest that’s carrying over into August. And when it ends, it appears the tree out front is preparing a smaller secondary crop.
Figs from about July 4 through Aug. 10, I would guess. Especially good this year, when the heat, as I’ve mentioned before, has wiped out a couple of other crops.
However, this many figs requires some imagination as far as processing and cooking them goes. Thus, my new high-tech fig dehydrator, which even as we speak is finishing up a double batch of these late, dark, sweet beauties.
Did I forget to mention their taste? They are very sweet, with the strongest “fig” flavor of any I’ve ever scarfed down before. Dried, their sugar content seems to become more intense.
Here is what I’ll be doing with some of them tomorrow (courtesy of Chef Ricardo at Wildcat Ridge Farm):
Fresh Fig Quesadillas
6 large fresh figs, trimmed and diced
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 9-inch flour tortillas
2 cups (about 8 ounces) coarsely shredded cheese – use a tangy Manchego, Monterey jack, cheddar or Queso Fresco.
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Preheat the oven to 350°F Brush a large baking sheet with olive oil
Place the tortillas on the baking sheet. Spread ¼ cup of the cheese on the bottom half of each tortilla.
Add a layer of figs, using ¼ cup for each tortilla. Sprinkle each with about ½ tablespoon of the red onion and ½ tablespoon of the cilantro and top with ¼ cup of the remaining cheese.
Fold the tortillas over to make half circles. Press down lightly.
Bake until golden brown on the bottom about 8 minutes, turn them over and bake for about 3 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 4 wedges.
Serve warm – serves four
→ B.Dunn, Aug 01, 2009, 04 12 pm
