How do I love figs.
Let me count the ways…
1. Fig jam
2. Fresh fig salad
3. Bruschetta with figs
Okay you get the idea. I love figs.
Why do i love figs so much, you ask? Well, shit. I don’t know. It’s a question that doesn’t actually require an answer like–“where do babies come from” or “whatever happened to Pee Wee Herman?” All that matters is that I spent my life searching for that one special ingredient.
My mascot.
My sidekick.
Sorry Olive…
But I don’t think drizzling you with honey and pairing you with semi-soft cheeses would be ideal for your fur.
One of the main reasons I’ve chosen figs as a feature item is because my odd infatuation with them is actually quite recent. You know how people normally camp out for events like Bruce Springsteen tickets? *Shout-out to my Uncle Mitchell* Well, when I heard that Wilmington was finally hopping on the Whole Foods train–I considered hauling my queen size bed into their soon-to-be parking lot. It’s not like the first hundred customers got to ride the grass-fed beef or anything, but I wanted the privilege of being there on opening day first dibs on the cheese samples. I burst through the glorious automatic doors and into the beautiful produce department. The emotion I experienced in that moment can only be conveyed through the following quote from one of history’s most famous leaders.
I believe it was the inventor of Almond Joy who once said…
“Sometimes you feel like a nut…and sometimes, you don’t.”
That store was so packed with wild-eyed people wrestling their way to the local parsnips that I almost had to take shelter under the apricots for safety. Just when I pressed my basket to my chest and slid in-between two women arguing over radishes, I stumbled backwards into a table. As I turned around to say excuse me, I looked down only to find myself face-to-face with the most gorgeous array of fresh figs I had ever seen. These stunning masterpieces stood straight up like chubby little soldiers with their pointy heads and plump bodies. The rainbow of deep purple, granny-smith-green, and glowing magenta was mesmerizing.
I was almost certain time had paused.
I snatched up as many as possible and made my way to the front of the store. In a matter of minutes I was home and slicing through fresh black mission figs. They split open to reveal glossy, bright burgundy skin inside and I piled them into a bowl with thick vanilla yogurt and sweet maple agave.
And life as I knew it…would never be the same again.
