Fresh Figs

Trivia

It is not actually a fruit! Technically speaking, the fig is an inverted flower and the seeds are drupes, or the real fruit.
Picking fresh figs is a real chore. The stem bleeds latex that irritates the cuticles and skin under the nails. To do the job, pickers tape their fingers like football players.
The Fig Newton cookie was first advertised in 1892. It was named after the town of Newton in Massachusetts.
A Two medium fresh figs contain 74 calories and are an excellent source of fibre. They also contain potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium.

Main Players

The most common fig is the Black Mission. It has a greyish-black or purplish- black skin with pink flesh.
Calimyrna (a.k.a. Smyrna) is a larger fig, with amber coloured skin and flesh. It has crisp, small seeds, and a slightly nutty flavour.

Kadota figs are greenish-yellow and they ripen to pale yellow. The flesh is purple.

What’s edible, what’s not…

You can eat every part of a fresh fig, except the tough stem end. Those edible seeds are what makes this fruit such a good source of dietary fibre. Some figs have a thicker skin than others… you may want to peel it off.

Ripe or not?

Fresh figs are the most perishable fruit around. Eat them ASAP!
Look for figs that yield to slight pressure but are not mushy. A ripe fig has a mild fig fragrance, An overripe fig smells sour.
Mission Figs are best to eat when slightly shrivelled and jet black.

Keep them out of plastic! Figs store best in a brown paper bag in the fridge, not in the crisper.