[Edit: Don't send me the photos you have--Please send them to Gene-genecolin.  See post #4]

Hi Y'all!

Today we held the first ever Fig Fest, in Lafayette, LA.  It was an experience I'll always treasure, as we were able to meet some of the forum members.

Thanks to the people who came in from Texas and Mississippi, as well as here, in Louisiana.

I am asking for a critique of the Fest, so next time, things will run more smoothly.

I didn't tell people to sign in at the door and put contact information with their names so we could keep track of who was here, so next time, there will be a log book.  I don't attend functions enough to remember what was what and that's why the request for pointers.  It would really help.

Also, everyone who came to the Fest and are members of this forum, please PM me with your name and anyone who came with you and contact information/where you live.  We won't pester you, or anything, promise.  :)

Anyone who attended the Fest and took pictures, would you please send me the photos you took so we can compile a folder showing them, for memories?  That would be so welcome.

You can still post photos here if you want and I hope you do so.

We so enjoyed today and hope to do this again when we will be able to taste figs.    We thought of the Fest too late to hold it during fig season.

Danny K told me if we get fig recipes, he will put together a fig recipe book and I think that's a great idea and very generous of him.  He's a great guy and his enthusiasm is infectious.  Both he and his wife added a sparkle to the Fest as did all our attendees.

So, please, anyone who has fig recipees and wants to share them, send me your recipes via the forum email, not PM.

I want to say a special thanks to the spouses of the fignuts who are non-fignuts, for working behind the scene to take care of the food and beverages so the fignuts could hear the speaker from the extension service (Gerald Roberts) and have good conversations with their fellow fignuts.  You made our day and did a whole lot of work.  God bless each of you richly--You are the best.

Thank you so much for making this day so special, each and every one of you.

noss & Mike, J.A. & Judy and Gene & Linda

Sounds like you had a great time!  Looking forward to the photos!  How many attendees were there?  Maybe you didn't count since you missed that log book detail :-)) 

Rock On!

Suzi

Id love to hear a summary, how many ppl, what fig varieties were sampled fresh, ppls favorite dishes, anything! I will try to help with recipes, excellent idea. Isn't there a chef or two on this forum too?

Give us a little time to gather the photos and we will post them along with a list of visiting members. Any of you that have photos please post them or send them to me to post.
Thanks,
"gene"

So glad you were able to put this together and that it was a success. Hope you are able to do it again next year! 

Hi Noss and others who are already in the circle. I am new. I enjoyed the "fest"(misnomer) because I met a lot of great people interested in fruit and figs and willing to share their knowledge and info. I did take photos and will send to you.
My critiques are:
1- LSU speaker entertaining but gave virtually no information on fig culture-I wanted that.
2-No other speakers scheduled for an entire day planned to receive info. Many of you guys could have spoken or held round table discussions to inform us. If you want something to grow you must use the elders to feed the newbies.
3-Don't expect the audience to set an ad lib schedule--there needs to be an established scheduled and a conference chairman and a conference leader.
4-Yes, I would love the food to be fig centric.
5-The cuttings, seedlings were awesome. It's great to be able to share the fig diversity among colleagues and friends. Awesome. 
6- Discussion on fig varieties, culture, exotics, research/results are all possibilities for educational topics...that;s what we are there for.
I am so fortunate I was able to attend and attend the first.
thanks


 

Hi Persianmd20,  Since we held this first Fest too late in the season for fig tasting, we didn't do that, but will do so next time.  That way people can bring figs with them for others to taste and talk about.  Wonderful if you can send us fig recipes.  I want to work on a recipe for a pepper/garlic/onion fig jam that can be used as a glaze over meat like baked ham/BBQ ribs, etc.  If someone who would have clue what they're doing knows how I could accomplish this, I'd sure love your help.  A fig stuffing for game birds and Cornish hens would be a good addition to a recipe book.  Also, stuffed fig recipes would be nice.  Italians/Middle-Easterners are so into figs, they must have delicious fig dishes.  Will you share them with us, please?  Dennis--Will you share your fig chutney recipe with us for the book?  Suzi--I lost control of the goings on.  The speaker started a little later and ran over, but I didn't tell him it was just supposed to be for an hour and don't know if James had done so.  And I left out the log book.  We'll hunt down everyone before long.  Photos, too.  :)  It was great to meet Alexis--She was here with James and his girlfriend and it was fun talking with them.  James has a winner of a gal, IMO.

There were:  J.A. and Judy Stallone and her brother; Gene & Linda Collins and Mike & I (Viv) holding the Fest.  There were Bobby & Donna Lehmann, Carl & Mrs. Head with two of their grandsons, David Lavergne, Danny & Darlene Kirkland, from TX, Norris & Pheobe Fontenot, Brian & Darlene Rodrigue, Gene's friend--He's the one who fried the delicious catfish and alligator and a big thanks to him for doing so, from LA; James Robin, Travis & Diana Callahan, Danny Boquet, James & his Amie, Alexis, Dalton Durio.  Now, my mind is blank, so someone else needs to speak up.  Aha!  Remembered one more--Alvin Broussard, who was the man who set up the building for us made a brief appearance.  I invited him to come eat with us, so he did.  That's 29 people, so far, Suzi.  There were more.  

Alvin kept talking about his dad's fig trees and the good figs from it, so I gave him two good-sized Celeste trees and when he saw them, he lit up like a Christmas tree.  Now I need to find him some Celeste preserves while his two trees grow.  He was so excited when he found out there was going to be a meeting of fignuts in HIS building!!!  How dear is that? 

Welcome to the Forum, Norris,  Thanks for the good feedback.  That's great you got photos and I can't wait to see them.  

1-The speaker did talk about general growing and I got a lot out of the things he said.  I'm not that experienced, so what he had to say was good for me, but he didn't concentrate on figs.  It would have been good for him to have a question and answer session, as well.  I'm thinking that the people who attended the meeting probably know more about growing figs than an ag extension person might because we are concentrating on one thing and the agents are working with a whole scope.  
2-We were originally to have two speakers, but got only one because James was handling that and his wife hurt her back and was in the hospital, so he wasn't in any shape to get a second speaker.  I learned about it too late to find anyone.  I was wanting a discussion group to take its place, but didn't accomplish that.  People were all over deep in discussion and everyone seemed content with talking with each other.  Did you get to talk one-on-one with anyone?  
3-Will you be willing to help next time and maybe be the chairman for a group discussion where people can ask questions and take notes? 
4-If we do this again during fig season, we can have fig tasting and maybe some dishes made with figs.  Good idea.  Some "Q" with fig-based sauce would be delicious.
5-Did you bring any trees/cuttings to trade?  Did you see the flyer to know that was suggested, as well as fig products to sell, or trade?  Some people were invitied word of mouth--Is that how you were invited?
6-Thank you for the suggestions for topics--Very good input.  We are glad you were able to attend the Fest, so you could give such good feedback and make very good suggestions for next time.

noss

Hello Ms Viv, many many thanks for this great fig fest get together that you put together ,enjoyed talking to all of the fig enthusiastic there,great job again,cant wait till next year..........Brian

Hi Brian, Welcome to the forum!

I'm so glad you were able to come be with us.

Good to hear from you.  I was busy editing my last post.  Did you see our special thanks to you for contributing that delicious fried catfish and alligator?  If not, please see the post above yours.

Also, thanks for bringing me the fig preserves from Rouse's.  You were right--It's really good.  I will be sending you a private message as soon as I post this.

Can you think of anyone else not on my list in post #7?  I've been so busy working on the fest that I'm exhausted and am drawing blanks when I'm trying to think of who I've missed.

Judy and J.A. brought all the coffee and fixings.  Gene and Linda brought that delicious shrimp jambalaya.  Just wanted to add that.

There were many scrumptious desserts, some homemade, some not, but all were so good.  If I missed anything anyone contributed, please PM me and I'll add it because it's important for everyone to get credit for taking the time to bring something.  :D

noss

Hi Vivian,

Great to know that you guys had a good time. I was invited by JR and another member but could not make it due to my work schedule. Hopefully I'll make it there next season and to meet all of you great people in-person.

Would love to see any photos that you guys took.

Best,
Navid.

Hi Navid,

Gene asked people to send him any photos so he could post them for us.  Mike needs to load the photos we took into the computer so I can send them to Gene.

I hope you will be able to be with us for any subsequent fig meetings.

noss

Thanks everyone for the input. This gathering was lacking in structure as noted and that was because this was done at the drop of a hat. If we do it next year we will be more prepared. But all in all, it was great just to gather and meet each other and share our passion of figs, good food, and great company. It was something like a Cajun front porch gathering where friends, family, and neighbors met in days past. 

I want to thank all who made the effort to attend and I hope no one left too disappointed. If there is a next time, we hope to do it during the fig ripening season and perhaps at an orchard or nursery, where we would be closer to the trees There we might better have demonstrations on propagating, growing, pruning and other things.

Pictures will be forthcoming as we get them together.
"gene"

Hello Noss,
Norris Fontenot and Wife Phoebe were in attendance. Norris had a professional camera since he is a photographer professionally . That was a nice get together that reminded me of the Southern Fruit Fellowship activities.

As someone who handles very large reunions I know that Sign in sheets are a necessity . Food was great, facility was great, I give you and the other organizers and A +.
Travis

Hi All,

First off... a big thanks to Vivian, Gene, and J.A. and their spouses for hosting this event.  Also, to everyone who made the delicious food and desserts.  In my opinion, it was a success.  I very much enjoyed meeting people from the forum.  There were several people who left before I had a chance to speak with them.  

I though the general nature of the talk was good.  Many of us grow more than just figs, so the information was useful.  I also liked the emphasis on utilizing the resources of our local ag extensions.  I left with several questions specific to growing in N.E. Austin for the local extension.

I think a "round table" discussion would have been a great follow up to the general information provided.  Also, for next time, you might want to ask the people who are planning to attend if they have specific areas of growing they would like to address.  The group could be divided into workshops with one attendee responsible for researching information and leading the discussion for that topic.

Another suggestion which came up in the car while driving to the event was a nursery tour and/or a fig hunt.

~james

Sorry I wasn't able to attend.  Hopefully I will get to go if you have another one.

Below are some of the photos taken by Norris Fontenot and I. If any one else has any please post them. If you click on the first photo you will see them as a slide show. If you click on the second one, you can go to each photo by using the next button next to each photo.

http://photobucket.com/cajunfigfest

Hi All,

What Gene said.  I love the visiting part of things like this.

Hi Travis,  Aha!  Norris Fontenot was the guy with that gorgeous camera.  I saw him with the camera, but he was across the room.  Thanks for mentioning him.  I would like to attend one of those Southern Fellowship get-togethers some time if I could.  Thanks for you Kudos and I'm glad you had a good time.  It was good to see you and Diana.  Thanks for your feedback.

Hi James, You're most welcome.  Glad you liked the food, as well.  I think your suggestion for a round table discussion according to groups is a good idea, as is the suggestion of having people tell us the things they are wanting to know about.  We are thinking about that nursery tour idea, or a fig hunt.  Not sure how that's supposed to happen.  How does a fig hunt work?  I can't see a crowd of people wandering around looking for fig trees going over too big.  I can see people getting scared of us, though.  LOL!  If we were looking for birds, they could be all right with that, but if we tell them we're hunting fig trees, they might really get scared.  :D

Will someone please tell us how to conduct a fig hunt?

Dalton said he has his nursery we could tour.  A garden and an orchard I know of is out because one man passed away and the other is ill.  They're the only two places I know of.  The man with the garden only had improved Celeste trees.  The man with the orchard has a few different varieties.  I think Dalton has the most different varieties around here.

Let's hear how to conduct a fig hunt--Anyone ever done that?

Thanks,

noss

One of the problems with forums is that you really don't know who you are talking to. I think that for a first time fig event it went very well. Things learned yesterday will be a part of next year. I am new to the forum so I don't know most of the people's names . I am
Mayhawman,
Travis J. Callahan,
teejcee@cox.net,
http://www.tandeecal.com/page3.htm

Travis, welcome to the forum. I'm looking forward to our next meeting.
"gene"

I gave away around 25 trees Saturday. If you received one or many, would you send me a PM letting me know which ones you got. I just like to keep a record of things like that. Also if you have any questions about those trees please write and ask. I'd be glad to answer all that I can.
"gene"

Hi Chapman,

We're sorry you didn't get to the fest.  Hopefully you will next time.  :)

noss

Gene--These are good pictures.  Are they yours and Norris Fontenot's?  Anyone else's?  Mike will send photos to you tomorrow.

Who was the other Mike?  Do you have a full name?

noss

Yes those were pictures shot by Norris and I. Mike is Judy's brother, a very nice guy.
"gene"

Thanks Gene for posting the great photos!

And thanks to all that were able to make it there!

That's a nice looking hat Gene.
Great to see you, Linda, Vivian and Mike again.

I will miss coming by you.

Good morning to all and thank everyone for making the Cajun fig fest a success. I had a wonderful time.

It was an honor to be a part of the team with Gene and Viv.

I have to give the credit to Noss; she worked very hard to make this meeting a success, thank you Viv.

Another thing about Viv, don’t let her foul you, she knows how to grow fig trees. Her trees at home were beautiful, healthy plants.

I also want to thank our partners, Mike, Linda and Judy for all the work they did and putting up with the three fig nuts they are married too. If you look at the pictures you will see what they were doing, working.

Gene has it right; we will do a better job next year. I hope more will be able to share a good time with us.

Oh, my brother in law’s name is Mike Kojis and yes he is a fig nut.

Pass a good time,

J.A. and Judy
P.S. I won the door prize but they would not give it to me.

Cecil I'm sure am sorry you didn't come as I was looking forward to seeing you. Maybe next year.

Rafed, I don't think you'll miss us, it's the Cajun cooking that you'll miss. All in all buddy no one will be missed like we'll miss you. The pleasure of your company has always been greats and I hope somewhere down the line we can again break bread together. Until then enjoy your new home life. Like Roy Rogers used to sing,...Happy trails to you until we meet again.

You will be missed.
"gene

Sounds like a good time had by all. Sherri's mom ended up in the hospital on Friday with pneumonia, but is back home and doing fine now. Otherwise we would have been there. Gene, thanks for posting the pictures so I could see what I missed :(. Hopefully we can attend next time. Thanks to all who got this organized.

Tim & Sherri Cole

Tim I'm sorry to hear that about Sherri's mom but glad she's alright. I was wondering why we hadn't heard from you, now we know. Hopefully things will be better next year for her and you and Sherri. Thanks for dropping us a line to let us know. We had a great time and wished you were there.
"gene"

So nice to see photos of many of our members!  Thanks for posting!  Enjoying your fest without being there!!

Suzi

J.A. I want to thank you for coming up with the idea of the fig fest and then with Judy's input to make it happen. Of course we all know that we own a lot to Vivian for all the leg work she did, and Vivian it was much appreciated. A special thanks go out to those who attended and made the extra effort to make it over to Lafayette. Some of you made extra extra effort and came a long way. We were all bless with a safe trip going and coming and for that we are also thankful. I guess the best part of the day for me was to meet many new faces that I knew only by name.
"gene"

Wow! Thanks for everyone posting about the event! I am happy you guys put this together in the nick of time for this year and am sure it will be stronger every year and become a nice tradition as our community grows. I will do my best to attend the next one sounds like a great time.

Noss in regards to recipes--I am a whole figs perserves man but alas I can not make it myself. I have called upon the powers of my mother to make some that I can transcribe the recipe as she makes it. It is wonderful, A+! She's starting it tonight I believe :).

persianmd2,

I don't know what happened to my reply to you.  Maybe I didn't hit the post button.

I was telling you that whole preserves would be a great recipe to have, thanks.

noss

Bobby,

I would like your fig bread pudding recipe for Danny's recipe book.

Thanks for offering it to us,

noss

The bread pudding was excellent.  Feel free to send me the recipe in the bottom of another tray.

That's a smooth move there, James.  Good one.  :)

noss

I have added a few more pictures of the gathering sent to me by Noss.
"gene"

http://photobucket.com/cajunfigfest