Fig (Ficus carica)

Native to Europe and Nothern Africa

Grown in California

Available June through early September.

Figs are one of the oldest fruits cultivated, often referred to in the Bible. The California Mission padres brought many fig trees with them from Spain, in 1760. There are still a few of the old ones growing today in California, most notably the John Day Fig tree in Los Angeles' Pueblo at  Olvera St. and in Santa Barbara right in the middle of Pacific Coast Highway.

Handling Tips and General Information: Figs come in both green and black. All figs have a soft, sweet, aromatic flesh. The color of the flesh varies from light cream to pink to brownish purple. There are several varieties in the market. Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Celeste, and Kadota. There are also dried varieties found available in the market, Smyrna and Calimyrna among the most notable. As early as 2900 BC, in early Sumerian times, the medicinal use of figs was being stressed. Now as before, the fig offers a power-house of nutrition; a combination of fiber, minerals, and nutrients that are unequaled in nature. California dried figs make satisfying snacks and sweet and flavorful recipe additions. The dense, sweet flesh, coupled with their unique crunchy seed, goes well in baked goods, with meat, poultry, fish, vegetables and other fruits. Figs can act as a sweetener in a variety of preparations. Fig puree (8 ounces of figs pureed in a blender with 1/4 to 1/3 cup water or fruit juice) can be used as both a sweetener and a fat substitute in many recipes. Figs can be part of almost any special diet, be it low fat, low sodium, high fiber, weight loss, diabetic or even the Mediterranean. They satisfy a sweet tooth without adding any fat. Their unique satiny texture and seeds provide a satisfying mouth feel and crunch. Figs are fat-free, sodium-free and, like other plant foods, cholesterol-free. One serving of figs is 40 grams, about 1/4 cup, or about 3 Calimyrna figs or about 4 to 5 Mission figs.  A small serving of about 1 1/2 dried figs equals one fruit exchange, or 15 grams of carbohydrate, provided in the form of glucose and fructose.  Figs are high in fiber, providing 20% of the Daily Value --- more dietary fiber per serving than any other common dried or fresh fruit.  Of the approximately five grams of fiber per serving of California figs, four grams are insoluble and one gram is water-soluble.  Figs have the highest overall mineral content of all common fruits. A 40 gram (1/4 cup) serving provides 244 mg of potassium (7% of the DV), 53 mg of calcium (6% of the DV) and 1.2 mg of iron (6% of the DV). Courtesy of the California Fig Board Here are three fabulous fig links: http://www.californiafigs.com/index.html http://www.producersfigs.com/cafigs.html http://www.valleyfig.com/funfacts.htm