Thursday, September 20, 2007

The Fig Tree

My love affair with figs began in 2000 during our European adventure. We spent almost 11 weeks traveling, with 8 of those weeks spent in Italy. We don't travel like most...we prefer to spend a week at a time in a small village and take day trips to wherever we want to go, but we just love being a part of a 'town'. We shop at the markets in the morning and buy all kinds of fun things...breads, cheeses, fruits and of course, dolci. We find a place to have a picnic so the boys can play...Brian was only 19 months old that 1st trip. At one of the markets we bought figs, which they then had us buy honey and fresh goat cheese, and a deep, deep relationship was formed. It has become a bit of an obsession, I must admit. Figs aren't easy to come by (even here in SoCal) and when you do find them, they are pricey. For the record..I always pay. I never ask....I just pay. Only during true fig season do I do this, when they are ripe and soft and sweet.

Ahhhh...the joy of figs.

Today I took my friend, Josephine, for lunch to celebrate her birthday. She is on my Meals on Wheels run and I ADORE her. We've gotten to know each other well over the last year (for the record, my Chicago family...she used to live on Nagle Ave and then moved to Des Plaines!) and next week is her 94th birthday. She's Polish and spunky and just a joy to be around. I took her to her very favorite place, Denny's, and then she wanted to go visit her friend for a minute. We drove up to her friends house and in her front yard was the most massive, beautiful, perfect beyond words fig tree...FULL OF FRUIT. Josephine smiled and told me this is why she wanted to stop by for a visit.

I told you she was grand!

Where o where o where is the camera? The camera that is always in my purse?
(on the kitchen counter...)

Greta handed me a bag and while she and Josephine chatted, I hiked up my skirt and well, in a not very lady like way, accosted the tree. I picked and picked and picked. I even scared away a crow. Heck, nothing was going to get in the way of me and my figs.

Aren't they purty? After taking Josephine home, I stopped at Whole Foods for some really good goat cheese and honey. Tonight we feast. =0)


But first, we have to go to Back to School night #1. Tonight is at Brian's school and this will be our 12th year of Back to School night at his school. Who knows....maybe we'll learn something new. I've made a pot of Italian Wedding Soup and a loaf of bread for the boys....M and I will eat when we get home. I may skip dinner and eat only figs! Yum!


Alex is excited because a new Survivor starts tonight, so that is also part of the plan. He is having such a great start to this school year and is settling in well. Praise God! =0)

3 comments:

  1. My idea of figs: Fig Newtons!

    Nagle Ave, she MUST be a Cub fan. (they are winning this afternoon. Could it be THIS is the year????)

    As far as attacking the tree, it runs in the family. After all, my mom attacks toll booths!
    Laura

    ReplyDelete
  2. That last comment was from the side of the family that think salt and pepper are exotic spices!

    I have always wanted to live in an area where fig trees can grow outside and bear fruit!

    About all we get around here is dried figs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Salt and pepper **ARE** exotic spices. If you have a problem with that, talk to the old people. They raised me.
    Laura

    ReplyDelete

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