The Current Farm Stars

This is our favorite time of year for many reasons. 

The warm Sonoma weather lets us hold on to summer a bit longer 

and the tomatoes that continue to ripen

encourage us along in this summer mindset.

still more to ripen on the vines at the farm

one day they look like this and then the next time we check

we are bringing this bounty to the kitchen

And there are other summer stars at the farm that continue to inspire the chefs. 

We have beautiful eggplants in several varieties ranging from Taiwan's Ping-Tung  

that produces 12-16" long glossy purple-red fruit

Ping-Tung Long Eggplant at the farm 

To the Heirloom Black Beauties, the ones you consider a "standard eggplant," 

which has  been around since 1902 and is popular 

since it ripens earlier than most other varieties. 

Black Beauty Eggplants can grow to 1-3 pound fruits

And then the Rose Bianca, a light and pretty eggplant from Italy. 

The Rose Bianca is mild and sweeter than other varieties, very creamy and delicate.

But perhaps the real reason we love this time of year 

is that it is one of the two times of year for figs, which obviously is "our time." 

There are many varieties of figs and frankly we love them all.

Our fig tree at the farm is a Celestial Fig 

Did you know that "there are almost 200 cultivars of figs, thus they grow 

in a wide range of shapes, colors and textures. 

There are dozens of Green fig varieties including the Celestial Fig...

there are others including the Adriatic fig, which 

is the one commonly used to make fig bars. 

The chefs at the girl & the fig are featuring Black Mission figs 

in a Fig Clafouti with Orange Caramel Sauce 

as the finale to this week's Plats du Jour meal. 

As our namesake, it is no surprise that we hold figs in high esteem. 

But it has been this way for thousands of years. 

Did you know that "the fig tree was considered sacred in all countries 

of Southwestern Asia, Egypt, Greece and Italy?

 And figs were mentioned in a Babylonian hymnbook about 2,000 BC?" 

Here's a bit more about fig's history and nutrition.

We just know they taste good!

 our signature fig salad
photo by Steven Krause for
Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country

Do you have a favorite fig recipe?