Historically, the fig is one of the oldest domesticated fruits on record with references dating back literally thousands of years. The tree itself is a robust, self-sufficient organism — often living for more than 100 years (more than three times the average life of other fruit bearing trees). Figs grow all over the world and come in an astonishing range of varieties and characteristics. But the one thing all figs share is their sweetness — at full ripeness they can concentrate more sugars than any tree fruit.
Figs are also one of only a few tree fruits that have two distinct parts to their harvest season. The first harvest (or “Breba” fruit) comes from the branches the tree produced the previous year. In the U.S. this Breba fruit is generally available in late May through mid-June. The second harvest and main crop on the tree’s new branches grows all summer and generally is ready to harvest at the end of August through October. For those of us in the produce trade, the Breba fruit is a tantalizing (sometimes maddening) preview of the main season yet to come.
The most common commercially produced fig is the Black Mission — a fig with a purple/black exterior color and a pink/brown interior. The Black Mission is extremely prolific and tends to travel well so it is likely the fig you will see at your local store. Another common but less available variety is the Brown Turkey which tends to be larger and more fragile than the Black Mission. There are several green skinned varieties, including Kadota and Adriatic. The Adriatic has a very short season and is very fragile, but the bright red interior and strawberry jam-like flavor make them well worth the trouble.
Selecting figs is a lot like choosing the right package of berries. Since they are so fragile, figs are generally packed in containers. If this is the case, you should examine them from all angles (particularly the bottom) to make sure there are no split or crushed figs inside. Once you get them home you should remove figs from their container and inspect them for damage and then store them in your refrigerator until you are ready to eat them. You should never keep fresh figs for more than a week — I always eat my softest figs first.
Luckily, figs start becoming widely available just when berries and soft fruits like peaches start to wane. Figs make a great breakfast fruit and are excellent paired with cheeses as an appetizer. They also make a refreshing addition to late summer/ fall salads with nuts, apples, and blue cheese. If I have some figs when I’m grilling I remove the stem and stuff them with some gorgonzola and grill them over indirect heat — this removes a lot of the moisture in the fig, caramelizes the sugars and really brings out the flavor. Grilled figs are also wonderful for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream.
There are many delicious dishes you can make with dried figs as well, but I encourage you to indulge in some fresh figs during this short harvest season. Enjoy!
Cheese from France, some of the first cheese(s) in my memory. Brie, Crottin, Roquefort, Comte, I remember my first taste of these fantastic products.
Gabietou is one of my favorites and it is available now. How did this cheese get to Whole Foods Market? Where did you hear about it? When did you first taste it? I get these questions all the time.
My cheese memories are associated with people or places. I do not think I am different from many in that respect.
Whole Foods Market’s Jeff and David give Willie a big check.
Farm Aid and Whole Foods Market go together like locally grown peas and carrots! Anyone that was lucky enough to attend the Whole Foods Market sponsored event on Saturday would have to agree that the talent and energy around the show was truly inspirational. With performances from the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, The Pretenders, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and, of course, Willie Nelson, the message of support for farmers and local producers was loud and clear.
The Whole Foods Market Boston local teams outdid themselves with the massive task of catering 3 full meals for the VIPs, production crews and artists along with offering tons of free tote bags and product samples for any of the 30k+ attendees that stopped by our booths. The grand prize winners of our “Destination Summer” online sweepstakes (and lucky us, they’re farmers too!) also had a blast, eating great food and grinning ear to ear the whole day. Kudos to everyone who had a hand in this huge undertaking!
Our guest writer, Honey Thompson, works on our marketing team and had an absolute blast helping out at FarmAid.
At Via Elisa, quality and freshness are the hallmarks of our work and we respect your love of pasta as one of the world’s most satisfying foods. We use 100% organic flours, 100% organic semolina, eggs from free-range hens and luxurious cheeses imported directly from Italy.
Our shared time at the table should nourish the spirit as well as the body. We cherish and follow Italian methods and culinary traditions by filling our pasta with a minimal number of the finest ingredients; simple, authentic, delicious.
We come to the pasta shop early and begin cooking from scratch. Via Elisa Fresh Pasta is not processed; we never destroy the outstanding flavor and texture through pasteurization.
Via Elisa was started in 2002. Since then, Elisa Gambino has transitioned her product line from fresh pastas to pasta sauces.
Note: Our Farm to Market slide shows currently feature farmers and producers from our South and MidAtlantic Regions. We hope to expand to others in the future.
Ever tried cooking with coffee? Chef Lou Lambert of Lamberts Downtown Barbecue in Austin, Texas, uses cofffee in one of his signature dishes. In this week’s encore presentation, he has adapted the recipe for his famous smoked, coffee-rubbed brisket for the home kitchen by roasting the brisket rather than smoking it. Easy to assemble and cook, this brisket packs amazing flavor and can be served warm or at room temperature.
We just for an email from Sandra ‘Mama’ Himes, our Executive Coordinator of Operations with an update about our Houston and Sugar Land store hours!
All of our Houston area stores, including our location in Sugar Land will be open 9am to 9pm on Saturday and Sunday. Next week, our store hours will be 8am to 9pm and after then, we will return to our regular hours.
Thanks to everyone for hanging in there with us.
Updated 09/17/08
All Houston Stores will be Open Tomorrow
As of 1:15 today, all of our Houston locations and our Sugar Land location have been restored with full city power and water. Our Bellaire store will open tomorrow and all of our locations will continue operating with limited hours. Specific hours are still variable due to low stock and shorthanded staff, but we will let you know once we have been restored to regular hours.
Ice, Wifi and Cell Phone Charging Available at Whole Foods in Central Ohio
Between 8 and 9 p.m. Tuesday, both Whole Foods locations, Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington and one in Dublin on Sawmill Road, will be giving away free ice to anyone who needs it. There is a maximum of 50 pounds per customer. Ice also will be available around 10 a.m. Wednesday. Plus, Whole Foods Market in Dublin has outlets to charge cell phones and free WIFI.
The Teens Turning Green line launched exclusively in Whole Foods Market stores this week. Check out the video to hear some of the Teens talk about the line and read on for three Teens saying what this means to them.
We recently challenged some of the best food bloggers out there to a recipe contest. Make a weeknight meal for 4 for less than $4 per serving. Entries came in from chefs of all kinds – cookbook authors, vegans, college students, stay-at-home moms, engineers and we had to narrow a large pool down to our favorite six. But even our runner up recipes were pretty awesome and we thought we’d share with you some of our favorites that didn’t make the cut…
When figuring out ways to save money on grocery bills, many people turn to cutting out items such as meat all together. Others turn to lower quality alternatives to get their fix – but there’s another way, with a little smart buying and some help from our expert team members, you can find value and quality in our Meat Department!
“Shopping for value meat cuts, buying family packs and consulting Whole Foods Market’s in-house butchers are easy, wallet-smart strategies to keep meat on the menu, despite the nation’s rising food costs,” says Theo Weening, global meat coordinator for Whole Foods Market.
Check out this awesome video featuring Theo with Russell Stockstill, the head butcher of our Austin-Lamar store.
And enjoy this week’s customer tips from The Whole Deal™!
Welcome to Whole Story, the official blog of Whole Foods Market.
Don’t know us? In a nutshell, we are the world's leading natural and organic grocer and we’re passionate about healthy food and a healthy planet. Learn more about us.
We’re lucky to have a whole bunch of smart, passionate people doing incredible things in areas like organics, supporting local growers, green practices, fair trade, micro-lending and all kinds of food related stuff. We’ll use this blog to share some of the cool things going on around here.
Of course, what makes this blog really exciting is YOU — so join the conversation!
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