This is a quick standby if you have a lot of fruit that is good and not quite ripe.

Figs are a great fruit as the pips are edible.

Wash and sort all your figs into small, medium, large.
Throw out any suspect ones and clip the stems off the rest. Try not to break the flesh.

Use three separate trays if you have lots otherwise arrange them on the tray in their sizes. Fill the tray just one layer deep.

Add 250-500ml of water to the tray, a knob of butter, sprinkle of salt and any spices you like, some sugar or honey to if you want.

Cover the figs with foil and slow poach them in an oven.
The small figs will be quickest to cook. Check the figs after 25 minutes and remove them when they give/soft to the touch.

After poaching put them on a wire mesh drainer to collect and keep any liqueur.

Once the figs are cool and drained use them for anything you like.

Chop them up and add them to a simmering jam at the last minute.
Portion them in bags and freeze them.
Put them in a tub of salt making sure they are all covered by the salt.
In a month they will be dry and ready to use as an ingredient for stocks, soups, stews and puddings.
Put them in a pickle brine and vacuum seal the container for a month. Then serve with cheeses and wine.
The salted figs can also be put in vinegar brine after their month in the salt tub.
Spices can be added to the salt such as cinnamon, clove, almond(oil) and any other that takes a fancy hmm nutmeg.

I once had a lovely fig and almond jam for my petit dejuerner.
Now there's a thought.
Lots more going on in the Working kitchen See you there when you get hungry:-)

When I was a kid, my grandma had a small fig tree in her backyard. She taught me to pick the figs and leaves - taking care with the milky substance that bleeds from the leaves when you pick then, because it's itchy - and prepare something with them.

I honestly don't remember the details of the recipes themselves, but I still like three different preparations. I'm going to list the names in portuguese and try to find the proper name in English later:

1) Figo em calda (Fig compote, or Figs with syrup)

2) Figo cristalizado

3) Licor de folhas de figo (Fig liquor)

Prepared with the leaves, mashed and mixed with alcohol (buy one appropriate for such preparations) or some strong spirit.

Foglie schiacciate sull'alcool

Prodotto finale

Il liquore era probabilmente illegale per me aiutare a prepararlo, ma all'epoca - e vivendo in una piccola città lontana dalla capitale - questo era in effetti comune. Ma è stato bello poter aiutare!