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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
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What to do with a bounty of fresh figs

My parents have a fig tree in their side yard that is pretty prolific most seasons. The past few years I've picked buckets worth of them, and made fig preserves and dried figs in the dehydrator. I don't need all of it for myself, but I hate to see delicious fresh local produce go all to the birds! Which is what will happen if I don't pick them.

I was so happy to see that fig season has come again last time I stopped by my parents' house. I picked all the ripe ones I could reach on foot, and left plenty ripening on the tree--so maybe I can get some more soon!


They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, but I can only eat a few fresh figs before my mouth starts to sting. (Same thing that happens when you eat too much fresh pineapple--they both contain enzymes called proteases, which break down proteins and can cause the prickly, painful sensation in the mouth (some people are more sensitive to it than others).)

And they don't stay fresh for too long after you pick them, so I often look for something to do with them. I've made small batches of fig jam before (like this) but it's never totally perfect, and I don't eat many things that I need jam for.

What to do with fresh figs


So this year I'm going to try something new. I looked around for creative new recipes for freshly picked figs and got pretty inspired! So I put together this list of grain-free, real food recipes for meals and desserts using tasty fresh figs. If you're not lucky enough to have a tree near you like I do, try picking your own near you or find them at the farmer's market or store this time of year!


There are some other fig recipe compilations out there, and I love this list of simple fig ideas--broiled bacon-wrapped figs, figs sauteed in butter and honey (how about on homemade ice cream!?). Make up your own recipe!

There's also these 27 ways to use fresh figs on BuzzFeed, but many of them involve truly fresh (uncooked) figs, and I don't think I could eat too many of those!

So here are some of my favorite fresh and cooked fig recipes.

Side Dishes



Condiments



Desserts



Fresh, seasonal fruit--what a treat!

What are your favorite fig recipes?

Hope you get a chance to try some of these if you're new to cooking with figs!

11 comments

  1. these are gorgeous! i didn't know they could be so vivid and green! love your recipe tips!
    http://www.ladiesinnavy.com

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  2. Wow, i didn't know I wanted to eat figs, until i saw your pictures. Bravo- they are appetite inducing!

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  3. I love figs! You might see if there are fig chutney recipes or perhaps a more savory jam using the figs with onions and other veggies. Or maybe a relish - sortof like salsa, but without the heat. There are also a number of pickled fig recipes, and while I sounds weird (or does to me) I've had pickled fruit that is wildly good.

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  4. So THAT'S what a fig looks like. Huh...always wondered.

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  5. Chutney or savory jam, those are great ideas!! Or salsa. Will definitely try one of those!

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  6. If you can't use them all...... You can donate them to a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen. My dad does this with his crazy amounts of zucchini, oranges, avocados. They love them and people who don't normally get to have fresh "odd" fruits and veggies get to have something a bit interesting in their diet other than institutional foods.

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  7. Hi ! I have made a lot of fig jam lately .. So thanks for the new ideas .....I also cut some of them in two , froze them , and in the winter I will poach them in wine with cinnamon and honey , and vanilla ice on the side ... Believe me , it is sooo warming and delicious !!!!

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  8. They look so green... you should add the #nofilter tag! Lovely ideas, girl :)

    http://lazypenguins.com/

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  9. These look beautiful! I was out looking for fresh figs the other day... in fact I need to find some for a photo shoot. Any ideas on where I can find some? (I haven't tried very hard yet lol)

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  10. Let me know if you find them at a market!

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