Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding!

When my wife and I began looking for homes in Houston, we toured the city and decided on the West Houston area. After narrowing it down to several properties we decided on a home that had a good-sized backyard where we would be able to have a garden and a place where we could enjoy spending time outside with family and friends. One of the highlights of the property was a mature, beautiful fig tree that we fell in love with.

We enjoy sitting in the shade of our fig tree year-round and due to our warm climate we get not one, but two fig harvests. We love the fresh figs and race the birds and opossums to pick the beautiful plump jewels. We eat as many as we possibly can fresh from the tree. The recipe below is one of our favorite ways to eat them fresh and is always a hit with guests.

Once we’ve packed our cheeks with fresh figs, we preserve the others as fig jam, or soak them in a delicious syrup to make fig preserves or dry them in the sun to keep for many months of snacking. Figs have always been a family favorite. My sister-in-law sends us the most delicious figgy pudding as a holiday tradition from the figs that she has preserved and it’s always such a special treat.

If you are ready to branch out from fig newtons and try fresh figs, you don’t have your own fig tree, you can pick up fresh figs at the Houston farmer’s markets. Although I cannot recommend planting your own fig tree highly enough!

West Houston’s market in Energy Corridor:

@yourneighborhoodfarmersmarket

Every Thursday - 3:30pm - 6:30 pm

The corner of Briar Forest and Eldridge Parkway

Be sure to check out the markets in the late spring/early summer or fall (each year the harvest time varies so be on the lookout and check with vendors).