In a neglected corner of our yard, behind a shed, sandwiched between a concrete slab and a stone wall, grows a large fig tree. It volunteered itself there several years ago, and we just left it. Every year, it produces a lot of figs, but they seem too bland to be worth eating fresh. Am I ignorant of proper fig harvesting times/indoor ripening, or is this simply because it is a feral tree? Would the figs work well in baking or jams? Any input appreciated, since it is a shame to let so much food go to waste.
Assuming you're leaving the fruit till it basically drops into your hand, it sounds like the tree might not get enough sun. Figs generally need a massive amount of sun to make tasty fruit.
you could try mixing the bland figs with strong flavored fruits like rhubarb or strawberries, jam or sauce to eat. You could dry them and chop them and use them as you would raisins, just always adding at least one other more strongly flavored thing you like.
My fig tree produces pretty bland figs too. We do eat them fresh or I make fresh fig cake, which is tasty. Where we really like them, is in mixed fruit jam.
Fig & Orange Jam
3 cups crushed figs
1 cup water 1/4 cup lemon juice
1 whole orange finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cups sugar
1/3 C (rounded) bulk low sugar pectin
Combine figs, orange, lemon juice, and water. Simmer until the orange peel is tender. Meanwhile mix pectin with about 1/4 cup sugar. Stir pectin and cinnamon into the figs and bring to a boil. Add sugar and bring to a boil again. Pour into sterile pint jars, cap, and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
orange and fig jam on biscuits
Two other really yummy combinations for jam are fig and apricot, and fig and cranberry. The fig-cranberry combination tastes a lot like strawberry jam!
cranberry fig jam
While I was digging around for recipes, I found the cake recipe. Bland figs are fine for this cake.
fresh fig cake
1 heaping cup fresh figs - halved or quartered
1/2 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
1/4 C honey 2 eggs
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Cream butter & sugar. Beat in eggs. Mix together dry ingredients and gradually beat into batter. Add vanilla. Fold in figs. Pour into prepared bundt or tube pan. Bake about 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes before turning out of pan.
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