From Tree to Table: Our September Fig Harvest

Sometimes the healthiest choices don’t begin in a grocery store.

Sometimes they’re growing right outside your door.

Every year, our fig tree produces an incredible crop. And when I say fig tree, I’m not talking about a little plant tucked into the corner of the yard.

I’m talking about this.

It’s enormous!

We know quite a few people in our area who grow fig trees, and many of them struggle to get much fruit at all. Somehow, ours just keeps producing—and producing.

This September has been no exception.

Look underneath those enormous green leaves and you’ll find figs everywhere: tiny green ones that aren’t remotely ready, others beginning to change color, and beautiful purple figs announcing that it’s finally time to start picking.

And that means one thing:

It’s harvest time!

From the Tree…

There’s something wonderfully simple about picking food from your own yard.

You look for the figs that are ready, reach underneath those giant leaves and gently pick the ripe fruit directly from the tree.

One becomes two.

Two become five.

And before you know it…

…you have enough figs to start figuring out what on earth you’re going to do with all of them!

For us, one answer was obvious.

…To the Table

Homemade fig preserves!

The figs traveled only a few steps—from our yard into our kitchen.

We washed and prepared the fruit and got our jars ready.

Then it was time to start cooking.

Slowly, the fruit began breaking down. The mixture became richer, darker and thicker as those freshly harvested figs transformed into preserves.

That’s the part I love.

Only hours earlier, those figs were hanging from branches outside.

Now they’re food we’ve prepared ourselves.

It doesn’t get much more tree to table than that.

Homemade Fig Preserves

🍯 Simple Fig Preserves

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh ripe figs, washed, stems removed and quartered

½ cup agave nectar, with more added to taste if needed

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup water to start

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Pinch of cinnamon, optional

Combine the figs, agave, lemon juice and water. Let them sit for about 10–15 minutes, then bring to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for roughly 30–45 minutes, stirring frequently and mashing the figs as they soften.

As the natural water cooks away, the mixture should become increasingly thick and spreadable. If it’s getting too thick before the figs have broken down, add water a tablespoon at a time rather than pouring in a large amount.

Want to Mix Things Up?

Plain fig is only the beginning.

Depending on the recipe you’re following, you can experiment with different flavor combinations, such as:

🍓 Strawberry Fig Preserves

Strawberries add another layer of familiar summer sweetness.

🍑 Peach Fig Preserves

Peaches and figs make a wonderful late-summer combination.

🐾 A Cautionary TAIL

Yes, TAIL. This is Doggone Healthy Choices, after all!

Living healthier alongside our dogs doesn’t mean that everything that’s good for us is automatically appropriate for them.

Before making significant changes to your diet, talk with your physician or another qualified healthcare professional—particularly if you have diabetes, prediabetes, food allergies or another condition that affects your dietary needs.

And the same rule applies to the other end of the leash:

ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR VETERINARIAN BEFORE INTRODUCING A NEW FOOD OR MAKING SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO YOUR DOG’S DIET.

Fresh fig flesh itself is not generally considered toxic to dogs, and a small amount may be tolerated by some dogs. But figs contain natural sugars and fiber, and eating too much can cause gastrointestinal—or, much easier to say, GI!—upset, including diarrhea. So don’t assume that because your dog can eat a little fig, your dog should be helping themselves to the harvest.

There’s another important distinction:

The fig fruit and the fig plant are not the same thing.

Don’t allow your dog to chew on or consume the leaves, stems, branches, bark or other parts of the fig plant. Fig plant material and sap can cause problems, including irritation and gastrointestinal symptoms.

So apparently our September fig harvest isn’t finished with us quite yet.

And that’s okay with me.

Because there’s something special about standing underneath a tree, looking at the food growing above you and knowing exactly where it came from.

Until tomorrow have a happy and healthy tail wagging day! 🐾

One foot, one paw at a time.

Pamela and Freedom