One thing you can do: make perfectly good food go the distance. We have tips.
Seasonality is the key to healthy eating, but fresh produce doesn’t last forever. The average New Zealander throws out more than $1500 worth of groceries every year, much of it fruit and veges that were
So our mission is two-fold: to eat with the seasons, prioritising sustainability, freshness and locally grown produce; and to reduce food waste, by learning what to look for when buying fresh produce, and what to do with it when you get home.
In this new series we’ll be covering the basics everyone should know about how to select and store their fruit and veges, and then the easiest, most delicious ways to prepare and eat them. This week: figs.
When will figs appear on shelves?
The primary commercial crop of figs makes its way into stores in autumn, from mid-February to April. You may see them earlier, around Christmas, but they’ll be a bit more watery and less flavoursome.
What to look for when buying figs
Being incredibly delicate, figs need to be handled very gently. For this reason, your figs will be packaged — safe from squeezing hands — so you’re going to need to use your eyes.
Because figs come in every colour of the rainbow — green, purple, black, brown, yellow striped (known as the tiger fig) — the colour won’t tell you much. But they should look soft, be unsplit, and have a stalk.
Look for figs that are completely unblemished — no cuts or rips, no bleeding sap. They should be chilled (around 4 degrees Celsius is perfect), because otherwise they deteriorate quickly. “If they’re warm,” says Murray Douglas of Te Mata Figs in Hawke’s Bay, “you might as well kiss them goodbye.”
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Advertise with NZME.Where is the best place to buy figs?
You’ll find figs at the supermarket but bear in mind that there is no quality standard in New Zealand for the picking and packing of figs. If you want to be sure that your figs are very fresh (picked the day before) and have been handled correctly, buy directly from a grower.
“Bear in mind,” says Murray, “that figs are not fruit — they’re flowers. They grow like roses, so it’s that delicacy you have to treat them with.”
How to store and care for figs
As soon as they’re home, get them into the refrigerator — but don’t leave them there too long. If you’ve bought directly from a grower, they’ll have been picked the day before and will last two or three days in the fridge. If you’re buying from the supermarket, you’ll need to eat them even quicker because they’ll have been in the system for longer.
Before you eat them, bring the figs back to room temperature. As for the debate about whether or not you should eat the skin? “The answer is: eat it,” says Murray. “Because they’re flowers, not fruit, they’re generally not sprayed, and it’s full of antioxidants. And the flesh has fibre, potassium — figs are very good for you.”
Later in the season, fig skins do get thicker so you can peel them at that stage if you wish.
If you want to try your hand at growing them
Murray says everyone should grow a fig tree: “It’s a lovely looking tree, and it gives a lovely aroma in the garden.”
He advises to prune the leaves in June or July. “The new bud comes away and that’s where your fig will grow. Then, come November, you should start seeing in the elbow of the leaf a little bud starting — that’s the fig emerging. It will grow and grow, then, come March or April, you should get a fig appearing.”
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Advertise with NZME.The stalk will start bending — this is known as the hanging man’s neck, and happens because the sugars are making the fig heavy and pulling it over. Gently touch your fig, and if it is nice and soft, and bending down, that’s when you pick it.
Look after them, and a fig tree will last around 800 years.
The simplest, most delicious way to prepare figs?
“We slice them and have them with feta,” says Murray. “The salt from the cheese with the honey sweetness of the fig is perfect. Put that on rocket with some walnuts, and maybe some prosciutto. Drizzle with walnut or olive oil. To me, that’s the best.”
For even less fuss, simply slice them through your salad, put them through your ice cream, and add them to a cheeseboard.
Our favourite fig recipes
If the figs aren’t completely ripe that’s not a problem, a little green will make no difference.
If you are not eating these sticky figs immediately, warm them slightly before serving. For a quick dessert, a scoop of your favourite icecream on top is sublime.
You may need to use more figs, depending on their size. Check the sweetness of the mixture and add a little more sugar if needed.
If you don’t have access to fresh figs, try this dried fig compote which is versatile as a dessert with a ball of vanilla icecream, or eat with a dollop of yoghurt and sprinkle of muesli.
If serving for a cocktail party, warm the honey just before. Your guests will be back for more.
Enjoy croissants with a hot coffee? Try stuffing your pastry with this delicious perfumed cream. Rich and luscious, these are a real treat.
We used a delicious chewy sourdough stick for the bruschetta because the dense texture is great for grilling and topping with an array of flavours.
This not-too-sweet tart usually requires a good jam but a fruit layer is delicious and a great way to use those excess figs, if you are lucky enough to have a tree!
