Figs_ surplus

[olive]

We have some great recipes for freshly picked figs but what do you do with a surplus?

Jam?

Boil up , freeze and serve with ice cream?

[ValL]

Fig honey had many uses also fig chutney. never made either not enough figs

[Enrique]

Hi,
Mariacristina has a great receipt ..........clean pop into jars and fill with brandy, screw on lid and put in dark......open at Christmas.........the only bit I didn't pick up ..which Brandy.......

[oliveview01]

I did a couple of bottles of figs in honey syrup last year, they were delicious. This year the figs are more like marbles, so not bothering!

[alpujarran2]

Do you like wine? If so make fig wine, we make it every year. If you're interested I'll post the recipe, very simple and cheap. Otherwise dry them and use to make figgy pudding, recipe available if you want, using black figs it's quite dark and xmas puddingy, white figs obviously paler but the taste is the same.

[gerryh]

Do you like wine? If so make fig wine, we make it every year. If you're interested I'll post the recipe, very simple and cheap.

Yes and Yes Please.
We don't have any fig trees but wher4e we take the dog for his morning walk are several fig trees. The ripe fruit is falling off them as nobody bothers with them.
Cheers
Gerry

[Enrique]

Another quick way to process loads of figs.....

Make two cuts and open out in a star shape place on chicken wire and dry in the sun.

Make a great chew, will store for a couple of years too....................

[alpujarran2]

First of all, we don't use much special equipment when winemaking, cheap 90cent buckets from the bazaar, shower caps to cover (free from hotels collected over time) empty 5 litre water bottles for after fermentation....but we do have a siphon and a 'thing' to measure the specific gravity so we know when to add sugar. We also have a sachet of wine yeast bought out from uk by friends, the local bodega looked blank at the request for yeast as grapes have it naturally. We do use steriliser powder from there though to kill the natural yeast - never sure what it will turn out like otherwise - and add wine yeast ourselves.

I use about 6 to 8 kilos of figs per bucket, put through the food processor to mince up first. 2 Campden tablets crushed to kill the natural yeast (or end of a tspn full of the steriliser powder) and that's it till 4 or 5 hours later when I add the yeast. If we already have a brew still fermenting then I add 1/2 pint or so of that, otherwise we make a yeast starter. (1/2 tspn wine yeast, 1 tspn sugar, bit of orange juice in a bottle, leave till frothy)

Stir daily (sterilised eqpt of course) after a week, strain fruit off and put wine into 5ltr bottle, cover with cotton wool pad (for make-up removal) and push on lid of bottle too. Measure the specific gravity and once it starts to read 1 or less ie 995 or thereabouts, we add sugar. We keep a bottle of 1kg sugar to 1/2 litre of water boiled and cooled, and add till wine stops fermenting. Siphon as necessary when there is sediment.

We do black and white figs separately if possible, only for a colour variation really, mixed gives a dark rosado, black alone is deep and gorgeous, white figs give a pale pink wine.

Happy brewing

[Mariacristina]

We haven't got many surplus figs in our area this year after the long wet Spring but during the Autumn I usually get involved in making "Pan de higo" with my neighbours. The figs are sun-dried as Enrique described in his post. We also collect some almonds on our rambles around the campo and we pick some Hinojo (wild fennel).

The fennel is boiled up and the water is used to pour over the dried figs so they soften up a bit. For a kilo or two of figs you need to throw in a handful or two of almonds and a cup of olive oil. Optional additions are cinnamon, a stick or two of the soft chocolate sticks that village shops sell, a cup of strong coffee, and a splash or two of sweet anise liqueur. The whole lot gets pushed through an old fashioned mincer and then is kneaded and rolled into fat sausage shapes. Wrap in greaseproof paper, clingfilm or foil. It is high-energy food traditionally carried out to the fields to keep everyone going at olive picking time.

Very traditional, easy to carry. It is also very nice sliced thinly and served with melon slices.