Next time you are shopping for fruit, take another look at the fresh figs on display in the supermarket's produce section or farmers market.
Just one taste of this sweet, nutrient-rich fruit will leave you wanting more. "The interest in fresh figs is huge," says Joe Siegal of Hilite Fine Foods in Etobicoke, Ont., which imports the fruit from California. "Restaurants are into figs now and I am selling 40 to 50 trays a week to chefs alone."
Denise Junqueiro, director of marketing for the California Fig Advisory Board, says "shoppers are more health conscious today and once they find out how nutritious fresh figs are they are more receptive."
California is where Canada gets its fresh figs at this time of year, and will until late August, says Siegal.
Junqueiro, whose office is based in Fresno, Calif., says that 30 per cent of the crop is shipped to Canada.
"The only competition we really have importing into Canada are Chili and Peru, but they are on the opposite schedule to us because they harvest and ship in the winter."
It is thought that figs were probably one of the first fruits to be dried and stored by man. The fig is the most talked about fruit in the Bible, and it is said that there was a fig tree in the Garden of Eden.
The most common fig is the Black Mission, and Siegal says it is the most sought after. The skin is greyish to purplish-black and turns jet-black when ripe. It is named for the mission fathers who planted the fruit along the California coast.
Kadota is another fig shipped to Canada. It has greenish-yellow skin and its flesh ripens to a pale yellow with purple in the centre.
Shoppers may also find Calimyrna, a large amber-coloured fig with golden flesh. It has crisp, small seeds and a nutty flavour. The Brown Turkey has brownish-purple skin and red flesh.
Junqueiro says that the only drawback with fresh figs is that they don't have a very long shelf life.
"Currently the shelf life once it's out of cold storage is about seven days," she says. "We are doing some research to extend that life from seven days to 21 and we are working on new packaging as well."
When buying fresh, look for richly coloured, plump figs that are soft but not mushy. If it is very firm, it is not ripe and will not ripen further.
Siegal says with a chuckle, "The best fig to eat is the one that looks lousiest and I just grab them and eat them out of hand."
Store figs in the refrigerator in a single layer in a covered container for no more than a few days before eating, says Junqueiro.
The bonus with figs is that they possess the highest overall mineral content of any of the most common fruits.
They are rich in soluble and insoluble fibre and potassium to help lower blood pressure. As well, they contain plant sterols, the compounds which may lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and reduce the risk for heart disease.
Fresh figs are a good source of vitamin B6, which improves cardiovascular health and may improve premenstrual syndome (PMS).
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Judy Creighton welcomes letters at 9 Kinnell St., Hamilton, Ont., L8R 2J8, but cannot promise to answer all correspondence personally. She can also be reached by e-mail at jcreighton(at)golden.net.
