Konnichiwa from the Nelis family!: Fig, not newton

At a recent playgroup that Bennet and I attended, the hostess handed us a baggie on our way out and told us to feel free to pick some figs. Apparently there were a lot and they were falling off the tree quickly. Now, I have never actually had a fig, other than the fruit and cake version, so I was surprised that someone actually had a whole tree full of them in their yard!

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Being someone who enjoys trying new things though, I marched on over to the tree, where a 9 year old girl taught me how to pick figs and which were ripe. Also, she told me that the flower is on the inside. Interesting.

So when we got home, I washed one and sliced it in half, and munched. They are fabulous! Bennet and I ate a ton! They may be my new favorite fruit! (Recently, jicamas became my favorite veg.) Since, I had known nothing about figs before today, I thought I'd share some interesting tidbits about them courtesy of California Fig Advisory Board.

Although considered a fruit, the fig is actually a flower that is inverted into itself. The seeds are drupes, or the real fruit. Figs are the only fruit to fully ripen and semi-dry on the tree.

Dried figs were first sold in a commerically manufactured cookie in 1892.

Figs contain a natural humectant -- a chemical that will extend freshness and moistness in baked products.

A chemical found in figs, Psoralens, has been used for thousands of years to treat skin pigmentation diseases. Psoralens, which naturally occurs in figs, some other plants and fungi, is a skin sensitizer that promotes tanning in the sun.

Figs provide more fiber than any other common fruit or vegetable. The fiber in figs is both soluble and insoluble. Both types of fiber are important for good health.

So I couldn't just eat them plain. I had to do some experiementing! So I halved the figs, stuffed them with goat cheese and a pecan, then wrapped them in bacon. A minute or two under the broiler, and they were heavenly!