Fig Season

As much as I love apricots, peaches and nectarines, I'm quite happy to see Italian-style prune plums at the green-grocer right now. Not that I'm complaining, but it's been an especially hot summer, and prune plums are the first sign of summer's end. Along with plums are the new crop of early apples and pears – a sure sign of fall.

You can still buy melons and other summer fruit. And if you're lucky, you'll find one of late summers' very special treats – fresh figs. Here in Israel, they're available in August and September.

Figs have a short season and they're extremely fragile, so don't store them for more than a few days. We love eating them fresh, but when it's peak season, I roast them in the oven for a special treat.

Slice the figs in quarters, almost to the base and arrange them in a shallow baking dish. If you want, add a cinnamon stick or a few crushed cardamom pods. Drizzle the figs with a small amount of honey mixed with some orange juice. Bake, uncovered, until the syrup starts to thicken and the figs get brown at the edges. Eat them warm or at room temperature.

Figs are one of the biblical seven species native to Israel. The Rambam wrote about their therapeutic value, including their use in relieving constipation.

In fact, figs are easily digestible and especially high in fiber – a nutrient lacking in most of our diets. They're a good source of potassium and one of the few fruits containing iron and calcium.

If you miss fresh fig season, you can buy several varieties of dried figs year-round. Of course, they're much higher in calories than fresh, so don't overdo it.