Just when I was thinking I'd left it to late too savour one of Autumn's most delicious bounties - the fig, I happen upon this amazing fig tree laden with ripening figs. I've driven past it so many times on my way back from the Ballarat Community Garden, but the time span between green nugget hard figs and juicy ripe ones is obviously much shorter than I anticipated. This teenage fig tree is on an empty lot - out of respect for the owners I've waited until it's obvious that no one is harvesting the fruits of this lonely tree. After last week's warm weather - suddenly the figs are ripe to perfection, only one showing signs of being ravaged by a bird (or possum).
Which leads to Rule Number One of Ballarat foraging. ALWAYS KEEP A BASKET IN THE BACK OF THE CAR (or bike, or backpack if you're on foot).
So now I just need to figure out what to do with around 3 kilograms of juicy figs. My Mum's figs which she'd preserved in port wine were delicious, I could just dry them in my dehydrator but I'm thinking Fig Paste to go with some delicious local cheeses. They're ripening quickly so it's time to make a decision.
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