Ever Try Fresh Figs?

By Monica D. Siembor

If you’re looking for a little more variety in your diet, a truly pleasurable experience, you must try fresh figs. Many of us have eaten dried figs, but fresh figs taste entirely different and are certainly a rare treat. They’re so lusciously sweet, filling, and fun to eat. The tiny, crunchy seeds and soft, silky consistency offer an interesting texture that is simply divine. Following are some tips for selecting the best fresh Black Mission figs, my personal favorites:

• Figs should be rich in color and have a nearly black, dark purple skin.
• Figs should be shapely and plump. Avoid bruised figs or figs with broken skins.
• Figs should have a mild fragrance.
• Figs are most sweet when very ripe. The skin will be slightly shriveled, but not mushy.
• Figs should have a very small whitish, pale green rim inside followed by a second subtle pink rim.
• Figs should have a wine colored center with crunchy seeds. Avoid figs that have dry looking seeds.
• Figs should be very juicy, rich, and sweet.

These tiny delicacies are packed with fiber and potassium as well as manganese, iron, and calcium. They don’t last long, only about a week after harvest, so plan to eat them fairly soon after purchase. Many people cut off the stem and cut the fig in half while others simply bite right in to this satiating treat.

Enjoy!