Caramelized figs with Peaches

Caramelized figs with Peaches.

Nutritional value per serving:

Energy: 287 kcal.

Protein: 1.5 g.

Carbohydrates: 45.2 g.

Fat: 7.8 g.

• saturated: 4.7 g.
• Monounsaturated: 2.3 g
• Polyunsaturated: 0.26 g
• Cholesterol: 22.7 mg.

Fiber: 3.9 g.

Vitamin C: 20.9 mg.

Ingredients for 4:

20 g. mint

100 g. brown sugar

35 g. butter

50 g. brandy

140 g. peach

80 g. Greek yogurt

460 g. apple green

30 g. lemon

120 g. fig

Steps to follow:

1. Peel the apples and crush with a little lemon
2. In a skillet with some butter, skip the peaches, figs, mint and a little brown sugar. Add the brandy and let it reduce.
3. In a bowl, put a little yogurt, chopped apple and sautéed fruit (peaches and figs)
4. Crown with a little fresh mint

From El Mundo

Figs from Figueres

Figueres is the first city you encounter having crossed the border into the Catalunya region of Spain from France, at the top of its Mediterranean coast. The city takes its name from the Latin word for fig the bag shaped fruit from the Fig tree (Higuera). Many of the villages around the rural Costa Brava are lucky enough to have wild fig trees growing by the road side. Last year our Moroccan tile installer offered advice on pruning the tree before asking permission to pick some of the fruit for his family. Lack of rain meant he went home empty handed. 

This year the little rain we had in May fell at just the right time for the tree to produce edible sized fruit. 

We were not certain if we should reduce the numbers of fruit to ensure that we had Figs suitable for the table. Before we could act, we noticed that a pair of Jays (birds - Garrulus glandarius) had taken a liking to the figs. Each day the normally shy birds would visit the tree and pick the small ripe fruits, that we would have removed, before retreating to the shelter of the woodland to consume their delicacy.  Francisco’s sheep are frequent visitors to the Finca and are partial to the leaves of the Fig tree; and some members of the flock will climb up on the backs of their relatives to stretch for leaves that should be out of their reach. A Dutch couple have advised us that if we wish to beat the wasps to our figs then we should pick them before they are fully ripe. We sampled figs they had picked from their own garden and found that the plump fruits had fully matured after picking. I prefer to eat the figs fresh from the tree or with Iberian cured Jamon. Carol also enjoys the dried fruits, so two years ago I dried some of our own figs. The domestic oven I used, on a low heat, did produce some very good figs though I found some of the figs became mouldy after a few days of storage. Commercial ovens obviously remove more of the moisture in the drying process.

Farming Malarkey

This Farming Malarkey is not as easy as it appears.

Chances of a fig from Figueres are looking quite slim at the moment, with little evidence of fruit having formed on our lone fig tree. The tree looks healthy enough and has good leaf coverage after the late winter rainfall. I enjoy the figs direct from the tree for the freshest of tastes or served with the Iberian ham of Spain’s signature dish. Carol prefers dried figs and lunches on them almost daily with Fazia her friend and fellow fruit-bat. We dried out the figs produced in 2005 and 2006 using a combination of sunshine and the low heat of an oven. In the short term the jammy dried figs were a success but they did not store well.

Pruning carried out by us and as advised by our Moroccan tiler friend was light and should not have damaged the fruit production; further pruning as performed by Francisco’s sheep has only refined the shape of the fig. It is I suppose possible that the previous year’s drought has stopped this year’s fruit from developing on the fig tree. On a positive note there are tiny fruit buds that have set and will go on to produce next season’s fruit. The abundance of fig leaves means that we will have to seek out recipes which use those leaves. Any leaves that remain could be supplied to the naturists who cavort upon the Costa Brava beaches.

Our solitary almond tree survived the drought despite some pillock having excavated the embankment on which it stands. The guy who sold us the house had dumped his manure pile on the embankment, and somebody had dug out the stash whilst we were away from the property. The tree had only four nuts this year but a crop is a crop is it not? Now though that crop has been decimated by either weather or predator and only half the nuts remain.

The pomegranate tree we planted two years ago is flowering again but alas it has not provided us with any fruit to date. Last year I struck half a dozen cuttings from the original tree and although they are now thriving they are not yet flowering. As they mature and flower cross pollination should ensure a healthy crop.

The olive cuttings are now established young plants though their shapes are wildly different. One is almost a standard whilst the others savaged by the severe weather are shrubbier. Pruning should sort out the shapes and we will try to propagate the material we have to remove. Who knows in a thousand years or so they may all be beautiful old trees.

Pest control

Having avoided using chemicals in the garden until we establish if there is a natural balance between pests and predators; we were expecting to have some damage to our plants. Enormous snail population aside there is a wealth of other pests inhabiting our land, particularly sap sucking insects.

The damage to this tree’s leaves was caused by sheep grazing on them. The sheep’s natural predator is the wolf which is making a come back in the Iberian mountain ranges to the north and west. Farmers and Shepherds are already raising the alarm over wolves in Galicia, and their problems may be about to become exacerbated due to the successful re-introduction of the brown Pyrenean bear. In the countryside those shepherds often stay out with their flocks 24 hours a day, some of them are becoming increasingly concerned not only for the welfare of their livestock but also for their own safety.

xx

The first fig

The figs are much smaller than last years crop, due to the lack of water. Still they will provide enough fruit to keep us both going though the summer, though I don´t think there will be enough to dry for later eating. 

Dried figs have become a favourite of Carol and her friend Fazia, their lunch time fruit snack is fast becoming a banquet for two!