Fig trees are native to the eastern Mediterranean and to western Asia. They do best in drier climates as rain can damage the delicate, thin-skinned fruit. That skin is green, purpling as it ripens, and becoming brown when dried. Figs have a soft rind and a sweet, meaty interior with pulpy seeds; the entire fruit is edible. Because figs are so fragile and difficult to transport, they are mainly consumed as a dried fruit in the United States.

Figs are a high energy food. They are also an excellent source of minerals, providing large amounts of calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorous and copper. One eight-ounce serving of dried figs provides more than 58% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of fiber.

By themselves, they are enjoyed as a snack food, but figs are widely consumed in both sweet and savory dishes. They are favored, along with nuts and olives, as a complement to cheese plates. They are a delicious condiment in dishes from tapenades to kebabs. In addition, figs are used in jams and in baked sweets such as cookies and fruitcakes.

• Organic Fig
  
  • Organic Dried Fig