figs and pomegranites

[sandyshore]

my new house comes with a mature fig tree and a pomegranite. when do i pick the fruits? how long can the fruits be stored? how do i dry figs? is there any way of preserving pomegranite?

[mybarnconversion]

Can I ask where your new house is? Sounds exotic...

[sandyshore]

its in the alentejo area of portugal

[Clara]

Figs couldn´t be easier - just leave to dry in the sun, making sure you rotate them a few times OR just leave ´em to drop and dry.

Pomegranates, you can make pomegranate molasses with, or just juice them (they are very good for your heart).

When to harvest can vary according to altitude, but figs round about now and pomegranates in october if I remember right from last year. You´ll know by looking at them when they are ready.

[pskipper]

Figs are ripe when they droop on the stem/fold the stem, makes sense when you see it.

[the.fee.fairy]

When/if you juice the pomegranates, watch out for the pips - they make the juice really bitter.

[sandyshore]

so how do you juice a pomegranite? in a juicer? as surely a blender will blend the bitter pips?

[the.fee.fairy]

i have no idea to be honest - i tried juicing a pomegranate once in a juicer, and it was horrible!!

maybe press the re bits rather than mechanically juice them - then, you should be able to fish out the pips/use a mesh small enough to catch them.

I'll think on it a bit more.

[contadino]

We have pomegranate trees too, and the first year I thought they were all bad - until I discovered that there are two types: sweet and sour. They're pretty much indistinguishable by looking at the tree. This year our sour ones have flowered much later than the sweet ones, so that may be a pointer.

[Wombat]

Isn't grenadine made from pomegranite juice?

I tired a bit inthe pub many many years ago and thought it tasted like cough syrup, but my DD & SIL got some a while back and it tasted OK, so either my tastes have changed or the original bottle was form the "low end of the market".

Nev

[possum]

figs usually grow one year and ripen the following year, so don't pick any of this years fruit.
If it is green it aint ripe, has to be a purplish sort of colour.

btw figs grow easily in the UK, even up in Yorkshire I had a fruiting fig, though everyone told me I couldn't possibly have one that far north.

[sandyshore]

so how do i dry figs?

do i just leave them in a dry place? or do i need to dry them in an oven?

thank you all

[contadino]

The traditional way here is to halve them and leave them in the sun. Watch out for wasps tho. Cover with muslin if they're a problem.

[contadina]

If you've got almond trees too this is lovely way to combine them with dried figs. It's called ficchi maritato or married figs.

Place an almond minus sleeve in between both halves along with a few tiny strands of lemon peel and a couple of fennel seeds. Squish together and roast in the oven of about 20 minutes until browned then allow to cool. Place in an airtight jar to store. They taste a bit Christmassey to me so we throw them in with the nut bowl.

[frozenthunderbolt]

I concur - best way figs is to dry is split in 1/2 and lie in the sun. watch out for birds, bees, wasps and small children tho!

They are ripe when they are just soft to the touch - have some give when you gently squeeze them. also the little hole in the fat end will open up and if the wasps are in them they're ripe

candied figs are also lovely cook 'em in sugar syrup then dry em the standard way.

Investing either some time making a solar food dryer, or money buying one is a worthwhile investment for all dried foods, at a pinch even geting hold of some screens to dry on is better than nothing - it allows air flow under the fruit/vege/jerky drying so it dries faster and more efficiently