Ask around, and you’ll be surprised at the number of folks who have fig trees in their yards. In fact, fig trees may be as close as your next-door neighbors. So check out these recipes, and we bet you’ll be taking figs off your friends’ hands whenever you can.
Handling and Buying Fresh Figs
Let figs ripen on the tree before you pick them; if you don’t, they will not ripen afterward. Figs typically peak from late July to early October in the South. Fresh figs are delicate and do not last very long at room temperature. Store them loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Fig Varieties
Brown Turkey, Mission, Celeste, LSU Purple, and Alma are all well-known varieties of figs. We used Brown Turkey, a favorite in the South, in all of our recipes but one. Our Grilled Feta-Stuffed Figs recipe features Mission figs, so named for the mission priests who planted them in California.
