Sherri P. Lee

Why figs? I supposed it represents a return to family and home. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends—warm summer evening and conversation around the giant fig tree with its succulent fruit. You had to get there early to get your share of the day’s ripenings. Wonderful memories of home, times long gone.

I spend much of my young adult life trying to grow fig tress in Tennessee. It wasn’t as though I had moved out of the south, but just further north. Others grew them, why couldn’t I? My grandfather would root them for me. I would bring home saplings from Texas, plant them lovingly, and then lose them before they ever produced the first fig.

When I moved to a new home, I built a tall wall with a southern exposure. This new environment brought success, but it also brought another problem. What do you do with so many figs? I shared them with other fig devotees, but when you have a crop of figs you have them immediately and abundantly. So my challenge became to discover some new and delicious ways to eat figs. Much to my surprise, figs are chic. I have found figs on the menus of some very prestigious restaurants, and I have done my best to recreate recipes as true to the chef’s presentation as possible. This was a great project. I had fun and created some delicious meals for my fig-eating friends. You can even get in a joyful mood by sharing a fig-tini before you start sampling some delicious fare. But save room for fig ice cream—it is the perfect ending for a summer’