oh little fig tree

only one fruit tree was here when we bought this house two years ago. a fig. it looked so neglected back then. i gave it a prune, loaded compost, manure and pea straw underneath during the first winter. when summer came it returned the favour with a nice crop of figs. this year the tree has grown quite a bit and the size of the crop increased quite a lot. for the past three weeks it has been giving us luscious ripe figs day after day. i leave them on as long as i dare and pick them just before the skin starts to burst open. the chickens get some and the birds get their share but that hasn't been too much of a problem. there is plenty to go around.

i gave some away to one of eloise's teachers and she made the most delicious crystallised dried figs with them. we ate a couple each for morning tea today and they were just like eating toffee. so sweet.

twice this week i have made a deep, dark jam, beautifully infused with cinnamon and vanilla. it is truly divine. the recipe comes from here which i just found by chance the other day. i now have a new (to me) blog to read and a new favourite jam recipe. 

i have also put up a couple of jars of figs in vanilla syrup, requested by my dearest. they are lovely with some home made vanilla ice cream and i haven't made them since before jessica was born so i guess it was about time.

next on my fig cooking list is a fig and pistachio frangipane tart. after that i am not sure what i will do with them all. any suggestions? there are still loads of figs left on the tree, maybe two more weeks and it will be finished for the year

one thing about figs is that all my recipes do seem to incorporate sugar and quite a lot of it. for someone that eats very little it is all a bit too much sweetness but then...

 fig season only comes once a year!