What the fig?

I know it’s summer here on the Central Coast when my friends Lori and Allen start bringing me boxes of fruit from their massive spread of trees and bushes on their property! I was super excited when Lori showed up to my yoga class at Kennedy Club Fitness with a huge box of figs, literally just picked before class. As I grabbed one and started chewing, the juices from the flesh and sweetness satisfied me immediately… and now I have about 30 of them to create some Yummy Yogini goodness!

Figs are SO good for you, did you know it? They are of the richest plant sources of calcium and fiber and they contain Vitamin K, potassium and magnesium. My favorite ways of enjoying figs are on a charcuterie board paired with soft cheeses, or cut up and mixed in with yogurt for a snack, or as a spread for toast, crackers or fruit. It’s hard to find fig jams or spread without a CRAPLOAD of sugar so I thought I’d make my own this afternoon since it takes less than an hour to prepare and cook.

To make this the healthiest possible spread, I used Organic Coconut Sugar instead of white sugar and I chose to mix it with a high grade honey from Trader Joe’s that is equal parts sweet and delicious! Although this is easy enough to make, you must stick around the kitchen so you can stir very often during the thickening process. I used my cast iron pan because it’s thick and I can’t burn anything in it! I’m currently digesting a great book by one of my favorite authors, Tracy Chevalier, called Remarkable Creatures (also the author of Girl with a Peal Earring) so while I was stirring, I stood and read on… multitasking at its finest! And while we’re on books, you MUST check out Spencer Quinn’s novels about a private investigator and his “partially” trained K-9 dog Chet. If you’re a dog lover, you’ll appreciate his stories that are told through the eyes of Chet… yes, the dog! Start with Dog On It and move on from there.. it took me two days to devour it!