Everyday Living

Oh For The Love Of Figs!

~ Food & Entertaining, Recipes

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines…
…yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s, He makes me tread on my high places”
Habbakuk 3:17a, 18-19

As a child, all I knew about figs was the infamous Fig Newton cookie…or I guess I should say the fig paste rolled into their pastry!  And while those were a great little snack, it pales in comparison to a fresh fig picked straight from the tree!  My first real introduction to figs was as a young bride…

Fig Recipes
Butch’s grandparents had fig trees in their yard and that is when I had my first taste of a fresh fig…and let me tell you, it was love at first bite!  Nannie made old-fashioned fig preserves served on her delicious home-made biscuits with butter!  It was food bliss!


Nannie’s fig trees have long been gone, but my love of figs remains!  I make sure to find fresh figs every summer, and this past Sunday evening, Katy hand-delivered figs she had just picked.  Figs have an extremely short shelf life and have to be prepared almost immediately, so I got busy!


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I love the pairing of figs and goat cheese…the sweetness of ripened figs with the tanginess of Alabama-made Stone Hollow goat cheese!  Oh yum!


I quartered the figs, being careful not to cut completely through. Next, I mixed the goat cheese and local honey…


…and with a small spoon stuffed each fig.  I added a drizzle of honey and fresh thyme from my garden….is your mouth watering yet?!


Simple, but oh-so-perfect!


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I had enough figs left over to make a small batch of preserves, the old-fashioned kind just like Nannie’s!  A quick and easy way to enjoy my preserves was to make an appetizer…(see recipe at bottom)


A French baguette with fresh Parmesan…toasted in the oven…piled with those sweet fig preserves!  I topped it off with a sprinkling of fresh rosemary from my garden…and voila!  The perfect crostini!


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I’ve always said that different foods can take you to a place and time like nothing else can.  On our visit to the Holy Land, we ate the most luscious sun-warmed figs directly from the tree!  Have you ever noticed that there are so many scriptures that reference the fig tree?


Do you like fresh figs and if so, how do you prepare them?  I would love your ideas!

Old-Fashioned Fig Preserves
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Total Time
2 hr 15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Total Time
2 hr 15 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 cups fresh figs
  2. 3/4 cup of sugar
  3. 1 lemon (sliced & seeded)
  4. 1/2 cup of water
  5. Pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Wash and drain figs. Remove stems and cut in half. In a heavy pot add all the ingredients and cook on low heat for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, stirring often. They are delicious served warm or cold!
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Comments

  2. Oh yummy! When I was little bitty we had a fig tree in the yard. I remember climbing to get them. Your pictures are so pretty and fig preserves sound perfectly summery.

    I have a fig recipe to share soon too.

    Happy TOHOT! 🙂

    Reply

  3. One of my earliest memories is eating figs off our tree in Montgomery. Yummy. And I was a picky eater. We left there when I was 4 and moved to Kentucky. I don’t remember eating fresh figs again until I visited Sicily as an adult. You’re right! Fig Newtons don’t even come close to fresh figs! Thanks for reminding me of that memory.

    Reply

  4. Thank you for sharing your recipe! I tasted my first fig when I was 8 years old. There was a tree in the yard of a farm across from our subdivision, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to taste one. Like you, I loved them instantly. I have a fig tree, and each year I make Strawberry Fig Preserves, but I have so many more figs and needed other ideas for them. I’ll definitely eat some with goat cheese this year (and honey) and make your preserves. I’m excited, can you tell? 🙂

    Reply

  6. Have eaten figs fresh from the tree all of my life Pam. My sister has been making fig preserves all this month from her tree for her church to sell. They are delicious. My favorite way to save them is to can them in simple syrup and to have them for breakfast. I also like to Serve them on tortillas with softened goat cheese cut into wedges. Yum!

    Reply

  8. My mouth is watering Pam!
    I have even dolloped fig preserved on top of a block of cream cheese and served it with crackers.
    Easy peasy.

    Reply

  9. Oh how I love figs. I used to pick them right off the tree in Houston, but mos of those trees have now disappeared. Your recipes are lip smacking good!

    Reply

  10. My mom used to make strawberry jam with figs instead of strawberries. I don’t remember the complete recipe,but it had strawberry jello and it was delicious. Figs are much sweeter than strawberries.

    Reply

    • Hi, Chuck! Thanks for commenting. My Mother and I also made the strawberry jam with figs using strawberry jello, and it was really good. Hope you and your family are doing well! Blessings, Pam

      Reply

  13. Ooooh, my mouth is watering right now. I don’t think I have ever tried a fig {beside the cookie}. I am going to look for some figs in my grocery store.

    Thanks for sharing, sweet Pam. Have a delightful weekend! Hugs!

    Reply

  14. My grandmother also made fig preserves, but I never cared much for it because it was too sweet! I also enjoy figs the way you’ve shown them with goat cheese and honey, but I’ve never added a sprinkle of thyme, so maybe I’ll try that. I used to have a fig tree, but birds and bugs were my enemies. Someday I’ll have another and it will be perfectly wonderful! Love your photos!

    Reply

  15. Pam, your recipes look wonderful. I have a fig tree planted at our farm in N GA but it has never produced. I think because during the summer months I am not up there often and it doesn’t get the proper amount of water but this year we have had so much rain that it may be doing much better. I need to check on it. I too love figs and will try both of your recipes.

    I have just started to follow you on instagram and just found your blog, beautiful btw. Last week your tablescape post showed some grasses growing in the background. Do you know what they are, do they die back to the ground in the winter and I wondered if you have ever tried using them in flower arrangements? Also I wondered how they held up in an arrangement? I was thinking of planting some for all of the above reasons. I live in zone 8 in N FL, we do get below freezing temps here. Any info you could share would be appreciated.

    Carolyn

    Reply

    • Hello Carolyn, so nice to meet you and I am glad you found me on Instagram. Thanks for visiting my blog and I am going to visit you, also. I certainly hope to get more figs in a few days, perhaps you have some on your farm in Georgia! The grasses are Adagio Maiden Grasses and they don’t completely die back, but my husband goes ahead and cuts them back and then in spring they look really great! In your zone they probably would look great year round. You might Google them and find out more. I have used them in arrangements and they hold up beautifully! Hope that helps and thanks so much for touching base with me, always good to hear from folks. We are going out for the evening, but I will check your blog and look forward to us being blogging friends! Blessings~

      Reply

      • Thanks Pam, I will check out that grass and see if our local nursery carries it. I thought it was beautiful, funny what one notices in pics. Glad to know that it holds up in arrangements, I can visualize it in so many Fall arrangements. I love doing fresh flower arrangements and that particular plant material looks to be a “must” have in the garden.

        Carolyn

  16. Oh my all of these looks so delicious…I had a laugh at the Fig Newton statement, as they were a staple at my Grandma’s house, along with home made Toll House cookies. I don’t know of anyone having fig trees around here….perhaps our weather is not suited, but I’d like to try this figs with cheese and honey recipe next time I spot some at the store! 🙂

    Reply

  18. I made fig jam on Friday and it was a hit. Fresh figs are such a treat. They never appear in the grocery stores so I depend on the generosity of friends with fig trees.

    Reply

  20. These pictures look so delicious! My parents have a giant fig tree that was loaded when I was home in June. They usually send out a message to everyone in town once they are ripe because there are so many. I’ll be sending mom this post so she can get some new ideas on how to serve them. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  21. Pam, great ideas for using figs. Your pictures are mouth~watering. I want to get some figs today! Thanks for sharing at Your Inspired Design LInk Party.

    Reply

  22. When I was a little girl my mother and I would travel to Beaumont TX every two years to visit relatives. My Aunt Ida would always give us lots of fig preserves to take back home. I didn’t really appreciate those lovely jars of preserves back then but I certainly would now. Thanks for bringing back those memories and for your serving ideas.

    Reply

  23. This is a timely post for me or actually, my husband. We have a neighbor who has a fig tree at his weekday home and he always brings us figs when he comes to his beach house. Now we have a few more ideas for recipes.

    Thanks for sharing with SYC.

    Reply

  24. I would love to try a fresh fig! I love fig newtons but have never had a fresh one. These preserves look amazing! I will feature this today at Home Sweet Home!

    Reply

  25. What a timely post! I was just given a large bag of figs and no idea what to do with them. I did make some fig bread which turned out yummy. Thanks for more ideas!
    Karee

    Reply

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