One of the amenities while staying at the John & Lucille Country Retreat is picking the fresh fruit grown around the house. Guest can pick fresh plums, apples, figs, Muscatine grapes, and pecans when in season. For many guest this is a highlight of the week here at the Retreat. There is something special about eating home grown fruit while strolling the beautiful yard surrounding the Retreat. In late July and August figs begin to ripen.
Here at the John & Lucille Retreat the variety grown is call Celeste, a small to medium size fig that has a sugary flavor. It has a light violet to a violet-brown color with flesh of reddish amber. Figs must be allowed to ripen fully on the trees before they are picked. They will not ripen if picked before they mature. A ripe fruit is slightly soft and beginning to bend at the neck. Fresh figs only keep in the refrigerator 2-3 days so our guests are encourage to enjoy picking and eating plenty of figs while they are vacationing.
While many people think of figs as the main ingredient in Fig Newtons® or maybe preserves few have enjoyed the juicy sweet taste of fresh figs. The good news is not only are fresh figs a delicious fruit but they have great health benefits too. Figs are a good source of potassium which helps to control blood pressure. They are also a good source of dietary fiber and calcium promoting positive weight management and bone density. Finally they contain the trace mineral manganese.
Figs grow on the Ficus tree, which is a member of the Mulberry family. The ficus tree has large bright green leaves up to one foot in length. The branches spread wider than they are tall. The fig tree can be traced back to writings in historical documents as well as the Bible. The first notation of fig leaves in the Bible is Genesis 3:7 where after eating the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves
Plums ripen in June
Figs ripen late July - Early August
Muscadine grapes - Late August - OctoberPecans fall - October - November
