# Eating Fresh Figs



## muzzlet (Oct 15, 2007)

I just bought a couple fresh figs on an impulse in the grocery store today. Never had a fresh one, only Fig Newtons!! 

My question: do they have to be peeled first or just washed and eaten like an apple? Scoop out the flesh like a melon? Thanks!


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## VeraBlue (Oct 15, 2007)

Pop that baby in your mouth, as is...just don't eat the stem.


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## Aurora (Oct 15, 2007)

I just wash and eat.  They are sweet, delicious, nutritious and fiber rich.  If I had written the Bible I would have had Adam and Eve eat a fig since that is a fruit worthy of temptation.  I can take or leave an apple, but ah, a fig takes willpower.

I love them fresh or dried (Greek style).  Heavenly!


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## BreezyCooking (Oct 15, 2007)

I like them just plain, or to gild the lily, topped with mascarpone cheese & a light drizzle of honey, or just a splash of fresh heavy cream.


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## Loprraine (Oct 15, 2007)

" Pop that baby in your mouth "

Yup.  My sister has a 25 year old fig tree in her greenhouse. When I was there this summer, there were hundreds on it!!!   Meanwhile, I pay big $$$ for them!


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## Uncle Bob (Oct 15, 2007)

Sliced, with a hint of sugar, and cream


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## Benni (Oct 15, 2007)

Just split open and eat, there is nothing nicer than fresh figs, they taste divine. My daughter in  law had two trees in their new place and not knowing what they were she was going to pull them out until I introduced her to the fruit.


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## Michael in FtW (Oct 15, 2007)

Yep - just wash 'em off, remove the stem, and take a bite! Dad planted 4 trees in our yard when I was a kid ... boy were they good.


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## Katie H (Oct 15, 2007)

muzzlet said:


> I just bought a couple fresh figs on an impulse in the grocery store today. Never had a fresh one, only Fig Newtons!!
> 
> My question: do they have to be peeled first or just washed and eaten like an apple? Scoop out the flesh like a melon? Thanks!



Can't stomach  fig newtons.   There's  something about the  texture that makes  me  gag.   I've never had a  fresh fig and live in  an  area  where it's unlikely  I'll find them fresh  in my  area  market.  Perhaps if I  tried a fresh  one,  I might  change  my opinion.  In the  meantime,  enjoy  all!


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## licia (Oct 16, 2007)

They are wonderful! Too bad we can't get them fresh year round. Also, they are very nutritous.


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## justplainbill (Oct 16, 2007)

I'm familiar with two types of fresh figs- 'white' and purple and prefer the purple raw and the white stewed. Wish I had enough white one's to get involved canning them. They're problematic to grow in hardiness zone 7a.


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## VeraBlue (Oct 16, 2007)

The purple figs are Mission figs...the green ones are calamyra figs.


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## *amy* (Oct 16, 2007)

muzzlet said:


> I just bought a couple fresh figs on an impulse in the grocery store today. Never had a fresh one, only Fig Newtons!!
> 
> My question: do they have to be peeled first or just washed and eaten like an apple? Scoop out the flesh like a melon? Thanks!


 
As mentioned, don't need to peel, but I wash everything, lol.  Try a search here - recently there was a fig thread and great ideas - i.e. dip 'em in white or dark chocolate.


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## chave982 (Oct 19, 2007)

Ok, so this thread motivated me to pick up a few figs from Wegmans to try, and they're pretty good!  They taste NOTHING like fig newtons though...I can't pick out any resemblance whatsoever.  

What should the outside of a fig feel like?  Mine were really really soft, like squeezing an overly-ripe tomato.  Is this good?


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## BreezyCooking (Oct 19, 2007)

Arent' fresh figs great!!  And, no, they wouldn't taste like the filling in Fig Newtons because that's more of a fig jam, just like Raspberry Newtons are filled with raspberry jam.  The texture & sweetness are completely different.

The outside of a fig should be somewhat yielding & soft, without being so very soft you'd think it was rotten.  I'd say the overly-ripe-tomato description was a good one, especially if the figs you had were good.  Everyone's tastes are different.

Now if you were going to use them in a compote or a recipe calling for poaching, you'd probably want to choose figs that were slightly firmer than those you'd buy for strictly fresh eating.


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## Aurora (Oct 19, 2007)

Don't just limit yourself to fresh figs.  During the dead of winter these beauties can taste just as great dried or reconstituted by soaking in hot water for a few minutes.


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## Chefellas (Oct 19, 2007)

I have never eaten an unpeeled fig. We always peel them or scoop out the middle.we do that to see if there are any worms inside. Anyway, Try fresh figs with prosciutto or Serrano ham. They are divine. The saltiness combined with the sweetness is just out of this world.!!


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## Bilby (Oct 30, 2007)

While I love a fresh fig, and don't greatly cared for dried ones, I really enjoy them lightly grilled with goats cheese. Yummo!!  Won't get any now until Autumn.


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## ChefJune (Oct 30, 2007)

Aurora said:


> I just wash and eat. They are sweet, delicious, nutritious and fiber rich. If I had written the Bible I would have had Adam and Eve eat a fig since that is a fruit worthy of temptation. I can take or leave an apple, but ah, a fig takes willpower.
> 
> I love them fresh or dried (Greek style). Heavenly!


Actually, Adam and Eve ate a pomegranate!

Figs are so wonderful.  Eat them out of hand, or wrap them with prosciutto, or stew them with orange zest and juice and use as an ice cream topping (if you can stop eating that with a spoon!) or spread a baked tart shell with seedless raspberry jam and line the fig halves face up on top.  Sprinkle the whole thing heavily with powdered sugar and broil the whole thing until the sugar caramelizes....


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## CharlieD (Oct 30, 2007)

Actually there is wholebig debate on what they ate. One thing for sure, it was not apple.


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## jkath (Oct 30, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:


> Sliced, with a hint of sugar, and cream



That's exactly how I love them best too
and, to play on that same idea, they're great when they're barely heated in the microwave with a crumbling of nilla wafers on top and a small scoop of good vanilla ice cream.


Also  - as for the softness of them - the ones that aren't ripe enough will not only be kind of firm, they'll be dry inside. The softer they are, the sweeter and more moist.


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