The other day I noticed there were ants crawling all over the sandals in my room. I went to go smack these annoying little creatures with that very same set of sandals when I saw a sticky, gooey, dark brown blob with tiny seeds smashed all over on the bottom of them. Think Fig Newtons and remove the little cake coating, and that’s what was on the bottom of my shoes. Have I mentioned it’s fig season here in Croatia?
Yes, everywhere you go around the city there are reminders and remainders of figs, or smokva as they are called here in Croatia. On the sides of the roads, you see people with baskets picking them. In the market in town, little old ladies are selling them fresh or dried, in preserves or in jellies. Mike and I were sitting at a beachside cafe when a lady came up to us selling cartons of them. Our friends in the tiny town of Kringa were given a huge case of them from a local restaurant owner who was up to his eyeballs in figs.
There are so many trees with figs in my neighborhood that they are literally dropping all over the sidewalks where they sit until they are smashed underfoot by unsuspecting tourists. (Oh, by the way, it is also tourist season.)
Every few days our landlord drops off a little bowl of these beautiful little green fruits with the pinkish white interiors. They are different from the ones I am used to from New Orleans, but just as delicious. To date, I have cooked fig jam, had them in salads, eaten them raw and am working on concocting a fig cobbler. Sweet!
I’ve honestly never seen so many figs in my life. It’s a figpocalypse.
I have to admit that I had felt a little guilty in the beginning of June when I saw two figs on a branch overhanging a fence and I took them. Carolyn and I had been on our way back from a grocery trip to Plodine when we saw the two plump figs just waiting to be picked, and I just popped those babies right into my rolling shopping bag while Carolyn looked around to make sure no one was watching us. Seeing all the fig trees as we walked along the roadway back home had made me dream of the day when figs would be available to buy at the market in town.
I’ve honestly never seen so many figs in my life. It’s a figpocalypse.
Looking back, it seems a little ridiculous to worry about as there are so many fig trees Nabisco would be able to stock Fig Newtons in stores for a year with all the figs I’ve seen smashed on the sidewalks and roadways. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration. But really, be careful what you wish for.
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Wow! I love figs, but maybe not that much! Here is a recipe to try: I roasted a pork loin with onions, garlic, and figs. Then I deglazed the pan with some chicken stock, reduced the onion, fig, garlic, stock concoction, and finally strained my au jus gravy. It was very tasty!
That sounds delicious!!!!!!!!!
My dad comes from a tiny village on Pag called “Smokvica”. I loved getting my beach towel and collecting the fresh figs as we walked back home from the beach. So many fig trees everywhere! I guess that’s why it’s called Smokvica!
That’s amazing! Isn’t that where the famous salt is from? I’ve been wanting to visit there! I’ll have to go by Smokvica when we visit! I just bought some dried figs at the market….. I can’t seem to get enough😂😂😂.
Yes, sale comes from Pag and surrounds. When you go to Pag you also have to try the Paski Sir (cheese). It’s world famous for its unique flavour. Across from Pag is the historical town of Nin. This is where my mother comes from. They also have salt works, and have the Solana NIN salt museum which is worth a visit.