Salad With Mission Figs

Mission figs have arrived, and we're enjoying all we can before they're gone. This morning, the boys ate toast spread with cream cheese and mashed-up fig, and for dinner, this salad.

There's nothing fancy here-radicchio, rocket from the garden and fresh spinach. I made a balsamic dressing and scattered some figs and cheese on at the last. Perfect.

I really want to make fig and orange jam, but figs are expensive here and it is quite a bit of work. I suppose I ought to make up my mind pretty soon, though later Fall figs will work too (and are larger). Fig jam makes one of the best fillings between layers of cake, particularly my Mandarin orange cake. I think I'm talking myself into making a batch, aren't I? Yes, I suppose I am.

For the locals-I bought mine at Russ' in the Havelock and paid close to four bucks for a box. Insane. Today I saw the same figs at Super Saver on 27th for Two something. I should have bought them, and I'll probably end up going tomorrow-unless you get there first and buy them all. Don't buy the "Concord Grapes" though, because when you read the label closely you'll see they are not true Concords but "Concord like" grapes from California. As the kids say, "WTF?" The skins looked tough to slip the grapes out of and would be utter frustration for canning. They might be OK to eat. Real Concords come from the Finger Lakes region, and they should smell strongly of wine. Worth waiting for the real ones.