Ripe figs don’t like water
Last year the figs started to ripen around late August. This year they are a bit early and the weather is not cooperating. I thought my biggest worries for the figs was “the race”. “The race” is between me, the birds, and the bugs. We all seem to know just when the figs are ripe. At that precise moment, the birds descend from above while the bugs attack from below. I usually lose. Fortunately, there ae more figs than i need so I have no problem sacrificing some.
This year taught me something new - water is not a ripe fig’s friend. The last three weeks of a fig should be warm and dry. This lets them sweeten naturally. Figs do not ripen once picked so timing is everything. What is happening is the figs are absorbing all the water they can and we’ve had plenty of rain. The figs are literally bursting from too much water. They just don’t know when to say “when”.
I’ve been picking what I can, trying to gauge if they have enough natural sugars. Last year I made Fig Nut bread. This year I am trying to dry the figs with a food dehydrator. It takes a full 24 hours but the figs are drying and the results are very good - although a few don’t have enough sweetness for my taste. The picture shows fresh whole figs, a couple cut in half to show the insides, and some dried figs. Most of the dried figs are like chewy candy. <yum>
I did the math and the food dehydrator is doing a great job but it’s not as “green” as I need it to be given my farmhouse project. I think the best use of the dehydrator is to start the drying process with some other method - one existing system that has a log of waste heat, and then finish with the dehydrator. Last year I tried using the dashboard of my truck but that assumes we have hot weather - which for the last week I am happy to say it has been cooler than last year. Also, drying in my truck attracted fruit flies which was not a welcome experience inside a closed vehicle.
My computer equipment generates warm dry air so I think I will work some solution that puts all my computer equipment together in a series and somewhat enclosed with the air flowing all in one direction. I should then be able to have a series of racks at the output of that warm air. There is a perfect place in the “home office” in the new farmhouse since all the equipment will be clustered together with the warm air collected by the ventilation return vent. All I will need to do is build the drying racks in-line with the air flow. Should be a fun project !
