Fabulous Figs

While away on holiday we had a night with some good friends which was a fabulous finale to our Northland sojourn! One of their boys whipped up a delicious dessert - fried custard - dusted in icing sugar which we ate in a communal fashion as each new batch came off the pan. It's a real blessing to have friends who are food and coffee freaks!
Then they us told about the local figs and gave us one of their recently preserved beauties to sample - VERY tasty!!!! Sweet and rich and textural... mmm. They kindly gave us a jar to take home. We enjoyed sharing it with our kids at family dinner - one fig teetering atop a scoop of French Vanilla ice-cream was a dreamy end to our meal! Some clearly found it more dreamy than others!

While with our friends on the farm we were treated to a trip on the four-wheeler farm bike down the farm to the Fig trees.. the heritage trees are positively ANCIENT, gnarly, old specimens dating back to the days of the early European settlers. Possibly part of the first trades between Maori and the early European's. They are well established at the base of a historical Maori Pa site. We navigated our way around two beefy, beasties grazing nearby and VERY hot electric fences to pick some fresh figs to take home and have a go at preserving our own.




My Darling Man also gently lifted a couple of seedlings hoping to get them to grow in our part of the world... share the heritage fruit tree love! So far they are looking perky enough but we will have to look out for them when the frosts come along!

Annabel Langbein's Preserved Figs.

For 6 kg figs.
In a large pot, heat together - 1 1/2 litres water, 3 kg sugar, 300 mls malt vinegar, 100gms sliced, preserved ginger (crystallized) and three lemons halved and thinly sliced. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add figs and simmer gently for 2 hrs. Bottle in sterilized jars.