Figs

Post by **Ebikatsu** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:50 am

Fig season again folks and wondering if anyone has frozen figs and what they are like when defrosted?

I'm thinking of freezing them and looking for tips.

Post by **Goddess** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:09 pm

Will be interested in the results.
I'd have thought you'd have to be really selective about only finding hard ones else they're just going to turn to mush if they're too ripe.
My friend just makes fig jam out of them - would much rather have that than them frozen.

Dried figs are quite nice - but I buy them not make 'em.

Post by **Ebikatsu** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:14 pm

Oh I love dried figs but I think that they might attract too many wasps and bees if I dry them in the garden and hubby is allergic to stings, so don't want to chance doing it myself.
We're not really jam freaks and fig jam is not my fav really.
I was thinking more to freeze so I could blitz in with some bananas in a smoothy in winter kinda thing.

Post by **Goddess** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:20 pm

If you're only going to make smoothies with them - they should be fine!

Think you might have to experiment a bit. Freeze a few whole, a few quartered on trays, before bagging them up so they don't stick and see which works better.

Post by **Ebikatsu** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:05 pm

Okay just been to wash a load of fruits and veggies and done another tray of tomatoes and they are out in the sun now drying

Root ginger in a bag in the freezer.
Coriander chopped and in a tub in the freezer.
Mangoes sliced and some in freezer some in fridge for dessert later

I just chopped the figs up and have put them on a tray to freeze individually and then I will tub them up later tonight so will let you know how they turn out

Post by **Claire** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:12 pm

You women here seem like real domestic Goddesses and so organised chopping and freezing and planning ahead! I only ever get to planning the night's dinner and occasionally meals for the weekend. I often go shopping buy what I fancy and then start thinking what I can cook but I suppose being here in the UK with 24 hour supermarkets and good local ethnic food shops makes it easier. I can always nip out for things I need.
Love dried figs I actually prefer them to the fresh one but not keen on fig. jam.
I'm hoping mangoes will still be in season when we get to Egypt in two weeks! I know from previous visits that they should be. YUM!!!!
Love Egyptian tomatoes as well. They are just so tasty and those baby cucumbers. The list is endless. Don't get me started. Good job it's lunchtime!

Post by **Glyphdoctor** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:15 pm

So far today I've made some roasted pepper pesto. I've cooked my eggroll filling (bok choi, carrots, radish, garlic, soy sauce, cloves, ginger and green onion shoots) and the wrappers are currently defrosting. Bagging some tomato/apricot salsa I still have sitting in the plastic containers I froze them in. About to make a Vietnamese carrot/radish pickle and then I've got some okra to cook. I've got some dried bread and some bread I had to banish from the freezer that I plan to turn to crumbs and then I think I will be done with as much Ramadan food prep as I plan to do for now (freezer won't be able to hold much more). Still have some shopping to do tomorrow though. And I've already been on two shopping trips already today-one to the suq for vegetables and kebab and another for dry and canned staples (including the can of mushrooms). And the best thing is I finally figured out the term they use in Egypt for allspice so I was able to mix up a batch of Jerk chicken spices last night!

Post by **Glyphdoctor** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:18 pm

Claire wrote: Love Egyptian tomatoes as well.

I saw some of the largest tomatoes I have ever seen in my life last night when I went to buy a bunch of parsley from our nearest overpriced veggie seller. I only buy green leafy stuff from him though so I didn't try the tomatoes because he charges too much for everything but the leafy stuff. He had colored peppers for 12LE yesterday and I know a place downtown where I can get them for 2.5LE.

Post by **Ebikatsu** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:23 pm

For me I just love cooking. It's not a chore at all. A way to relax

Here because food is so fresh and there are not a great deal of convenience foods you just get to plan the day's dinner early in the day. I don't cook every day. Sometimes we just have a sandwich and fruit.

The fresh produce here is so delicious and the mangoes are in season and there should be plenty around in 2 weeks

The toms I have today are Roma, the Italian plum ones and so ripe and That's why I decided to sun dry these ones and jar them up.
My fridge is never without toms, cucumber, red peppers and fresh limes

The rest is seasonal and we eat kilo's of fruit and veg a week.
Thank God Vit C is a water soluble vitamin

Post by **stratagems** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:09 pm

Wow, GD. Your Ramadan meals will be like the culinary version of "Around the world in thirty days"!

I don't know if it will work as well with figs, but I know some people who use the oven to make sun dried tomatoes, so maybe you could do that? They'll need to be in for six-eight hours and I think it's on a low temp.

Post by **Goddess** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:55 pm

Littlebee wrote:
I don't know if it will work as well with figs, but I know some people who use the oven to make sun dried tomatoes, so maybe you could do that? They'll need to be in for six-eight hours and I think it's on a low temp.

Yep - I make dried tomatoes in the oven - works really well.

I can't be bothered cooking at the moment - my kitchen is like a tiny sweat box and it kind of takes the fun out of it, and never feel like eating after I make anything.

Post by **Goddess** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 3:15 pm

A more pressing issue (for me at least!) is what can I do to preserve cherries?? I've eaten my way through a fair few kilos of them but feel the end of the season creeping nearer - and want to think of something to do with them that I can enjoy something cherrified mid winter.

Post by **Ebikatsu** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 3:24 pm

Goddess wrote:A more pressing issue (for me at least!) is what can I do to preserve cherries?? I've eaten my way through a fair few kilos of them but feel the end of the season creeping nearer - and want to think of something to do with them that I can enjoy something cherrified mid winter.

Rom Toff (sp)?

A girl at work used to do that.

You wash the cherries and prick them with a cocktail stick and put in a jar and fill it with vodka and add some sugar. Should be a nice cherry liquer by Christmas.

She did another with different layers of fruit and sugar and rum in a big clay jar.

Here I found this

RUM TOFF

1 c. fresh fruit
1 c. sugar over fruit, leave for one hour

Then pour enough rum over fruit and sugar to cover well. Add 1 cup fresh fruit covered with 1 cup sugar each week. Let ferment 3 months in crock with lid. Great over ice cream. Use fresh:

Strawberries
Peaches
B lueberries
Cherries
Melon balls
Cantaloupe balls
Pear
White grapes

DO NOT USE BLACKBERRIES OR APPLES.

Post by **stratagems** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 3:47 pm

Put the cherries in a sterile jar. Make a sugar/water syrup (maybe add spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, vanilla, etc. for winter), boil it, pour over the cherries and let it cool before popping it in the fridge. I like chocolate and cherries in syrup/compote with yoghurt/oats, yum yum.

Post by **jewel** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:17 pm

OMG - the other night we had Cafe Reale at Pizza express , a dollop of marscapone chease with figs in cinnamon syrup, with a coffee on the side. To die for

Post by **Geraldine** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:13 pm

Ebikatsu wrote:The fresh produce here is so delicious and

Fruits are very delicious but I must say I often am dissappointed with vegetables. Especially carrots, they are so dry and tasteless if you compare to Finnish ones

Truly remarkable difference. Tomatoes as well and mind you, Finnish ones are not even THAT tasty. People seem to say that tomatoes taste great in Italy and around that part of the world.

I tried organic carrots though, they are a bit better.

And parsley, dill, chive - they don't smell at all

I miss Finnish ones, they have very strong smell. I read it has something to do with soil quality? Maybe I have to try and grow my own.

Post by **PRchick** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:40 am

Cherries usually freeze well Goddess.

Post by **Goddess** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:16 pm

PRchick wrote:Cherries usually freeze well Goddess.

Thanks PR - I have been debating just chucking a load in the freezer - think I'll give it a go and see what happens - can always make syrup out of them if it all goes pear shaped!

Post by **stratagems** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:05 pm

Raspberries and blueberries do too, but I find strawberries don't.

I now want cherries in syrup + chocolate + some lovely vanilla/Cornish cream ice cream, mmm, so perfect for a lovely day like today.

Figs

Figs

So organised

Re: So organised