Hi, we've only tried dried fig from the markets but we've been told that dehydrating fresh figs would taste better. But is it possible to leave the fig fruits on the tree and have them dry up before picking? Or is it better to pick them then dehydrate them like we do for other fruit snacks? Thank you!

I have read of many people who leave their ripe figs on the trees, in a warm climate, to allow them to dry naturally on the tree.  Of course you would need to protect said fig from fig-thief-creatures, and you run the risk of inclement weather (depending upon your climate).   I would say if there is any chance at all that you would lose the figs on the trees, then to bring the ripe figs inside and do a controlled dehydration.    Let us know what you end up doing.      Sara

Why would you wast a good fresh fig by drying it out. That's like telling me a champagne grape tastes better as a raisen.

Thank you Saramc for your advice. :-)

Hello, Alanmercieca. That is very interesting.  It's hard to find good quality dried figs! I guess that is one reason why we want to grow our own. For fresh fruits and for the dried goodies. :-)

The_celt, I'd agree that we'd much prefer fresh fruits over dried fruits anytime. But sometimes I do like a good batch of old-fashioned oatmeal raisin cookies. :-)  Except for baking pies, it's hard to use fresh fruits in baking recipes. We just started our fruit collections so we're hoping when we're able to get a good harvest one day, that we can also use the fruits in our cooking and baking recipes. Maybe make some muffins or bread with them? So that is why we're interested to learn how to preserve fruits longer and in a form more friendly to cooking/baking. :-)

Alan, it's a good thought and if you can pull it off, more power to you. But--I left the BTs to the birds this year, and they had no problem eating them all and then hunting for more. In my yard at least, it seems the bigger the food source, the more critters migrate in for the feast--and then they start looking around for dessert!

I think getting your neighbors "addicted" to planting fruits and nuts in their yards is a great idea! (Just don't tell them they're providing decoys to keep the marauders out of your own yard.) You folks in regions with lots of fruit trees in your neighborhoods may have much better success "saturating the market" and overwhelming the hungry critters than I've had--here, it seems anything with ripening fruit is the birds' favorite.

Thank you for the good ideas on how to protect our future fruits, alanmercieca! One thing though, I think I've read somewhere that walnut tree roots can be toxic to certain plants. We grow a lot of tomatoes and many years ago, that's what we had come upon when finding some information on tomato plants...  But I'm not sure if it pertains to specific walnut trees or all of them though...

TucsonKen, do you have a good recommendation for a fruit dehydrator? I haven't been able to find a reliable one.  This is just in case we can have enough fresh fruits for our families and some extra to reserve aside, like you said, for when the fruits are not in season. Even in homemade trail mixes!

We are currently trying to find some more good varieties of figs to add to our garden. Growing fruits is very new to us.

Thank you for everyone's kind advice.

I'm very happy with my Excalibur dehydrator.

Thank you for the recommendation on the Excalibur brand, TucsonKen. We'll have to look that up!

Thank you for clarifying the walnut tree concern, Alanmercieca. A walnut that falls out of the husk on its own sounds very good!

Hi AuntieB
all the walnut family produce juglone, that would include the english walnut, butter nut, japanese walnut, hickory, etc and have some toxicity, but the black walnut is the worst.  here is link about it http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1148.html

 interestingly chestnut trees also produce toxins to suppress vegetative competition.

I would disagree with alan concerning black walnuts not being any good.
the nuts I have gotten from the trees in my backyard are the tastiest walnuts I have ever had, sweet with strawberry undertones.

Grant
Z5b

hey grant

Hi Eli,

No, not from Grimo, my trees were planted by the squirrels.
The largest are 50 feet or more in height, probably about 40 years or so old.  I think from what I have read that grafted varieties will produce a few nuts after about 5 years. I did plant a few other nut varieties from Grimo this year, both the hazelnuts and chestnuts produced flowers, which i removed.  I expect to get a few nuts from them next year.

Grant

Hi Allen,
yes maybe I lucked out. Could be the processing as well. from my experience the black walnuts have to be husked and started to dry as soon as they fall from the tree. If the green husk gets any black spots on, the flavour is affected.  and for sure it is a lot of work for the small  amount of nut-meat that is obtained. once dry I use a small sledge to break the nut open. 
I think I read the same about english and carpathian walnuts, the toxicity is so low that they do little harm to other plants, maybe  just slow their growth a little.

grant

Hi Allen,
I find that the husks come off fairly easily, although it is time consuming.
I use an old patio stone that has grooves, indentations on the underside, the nut catches in the groves and the husks come off as I roll them underfoot on the stone.   I wish I could grow coconuts. :-)

Walnuts may be good but the Bulk-Barn in Ottawa had some nice dried Calimyrna figs ($11.50/ lb) so I selected and bought some juicy 1/2 lb and am enjoying while surfing these posts.
I may have to do it a few more times until I get busy with fig plants outside next spring.

Alan
These were from California, in a Bulk Barn in Ottawa (Ontario) much farther from the source than NC !
Yes, local demography makes difference. Ottawa has a big population of people from Mediterranean areas and Western/South Asia so dried figs remain available throughout the year.

I lived in Vermont (1965-69/UVM.. post graduate studies) which were the psychedelic years. My only choice was 'sesame bars' in a health-food store in Montpelier.

Love dried figs - not many days that I don't eat one or two.  Fresh market has 3 or 4 types (2 varieties) that are good, Trader Joe's are hit and miss for me.  Whole Paycheck doesn't seem to carry them.  Before Whole Paycheck bought them out and extinguished the competition, we had a great natural food store here named Sunshine Grocery.  I have no idea where they got them, but their bulk dried figs - calymira and black mission were wonderful - along with a lot of affordable good foods.  Now we have Whole Paycheck instead!

Black walnuts are good eats.  Strong and greasy - yes, but at least you know you are eating them.  I have also heard of the toxicity.  And while I won't say it doesn't exist, it seems to not make much difference to many plants.  I have one probably 50 yo black walnut.  In it's drip line, there are also a black cherry, a holly, a neighbor's pear tree, many native wild flowers, lots of weeds and shrubby bushes. 

Seems that drying in a car in the summer would work.  Keep the windows up, keeps the bugs out and the temps high. 
Has anyone every tried drying in their car?

cathy this is a site I ran across a few years back about drying figs in your car. The individual stated they lived in Seattle.

http://thetanglednest.com/2009/08/drying-food-in-car/

Drying figs in a car certainly works. I've dried a few by cutting them in half (they were good-sized brown Turkeys), putting them cut-side up on a cookie sheet, and setting them on the dashboard in the sun. It took a couple of days to dry them out, but I prefer the results from my electric dehydrator which maintains an even temperature and air flow.

My family has been using dried figs for Christmas cookies for many years and when we were in Sicily we dried our own figs in the sun and strung them up or bartered with friends & neighbors who did the drying the same way.... Outside of Southern California, I don't think there is a climate close enough (to the southern Mediterranean) in the US to do sun drying the old fashioned way.

Good research.... The "cucidata" cookies can be made with figs and or dates and or a mix, plus candied fruit (melon, orange rind) toasted almonds and or walnuts and chocolate, plus a white frosting and or sprinkles on top of frosting. There are probably as many varied recipes as there are cooks of these sweets and recipes are always modified to include or exclude some items. We skip the candied fruit and go heavy on chocolate. These cookies have a substantial shelf life, no refrigeration needed. Outside of chocolate and sugar, all ingredients were from local production.

Most of Trader Joe's dried figs are similar to the bulk ones at the local discount store, just more expensive.  Just a few days ago I bought some dried Calimyrna there - these are much better.

Auntie here near Chicago
several years ago i dried several type figs on a board covered with cheescloth outside on the patio table and they were much better than store bought ones .