figs

                                              If I had words to make a day for you, 
                                   I'd sing you a morning golden & true 
                                   I would make this day last for all time 
                                   then fill the night deep in moonshine 

                                    If I had words to make a day for you, 
                                    I'd give you a morning golden & true 
                                    I would make this day last for all time... 
                                    then fill the night deep in moonshine 

It was as if I had written a simple letter with one request, placed a stamp in the right hand corner and dropped it in the mail. 

"Please send a perfect day"

And today the letter was answered.  As I opened the front door and slipped out onto the porch I could not but help sighing with contented happiness. The hot temperatures and humidity of the past week had vanished and instead we had a soothing welcomed coolness. My morning work was already determined, but now I could open the windows and let the fresh air and light breeze fill my kitchen space. 

I have mentioned in a past post a brief intro to my personal fig story.

And I'm still  hoping one day to have a fruit producing fig tree as we have now planted one beside the back screened porch. I have visions of it giving shade to that sunny corner of the porch when it matures. I also have hopes of plenteous figs. It produced two figs this year, since it is yet young I still maintain  reasonable expectations of more fruitfulness in the summers to come.

Yesterday my husband stopped by a friend's house who has three large fig trees loaded with fruit and he was more than happy to share several containers of fresh figs with us.

 My morning's work involved making a batch of fig newtons. As a child I did not like fig newtons, that super sticky sweet paste in a dry crumbly cookie was not desirable to my taste whatsoever. But several years ago wanting to give them another chance, I tried a gourmet fig newton and  immediately I knew there was so much more to a good fig newton than those cookies I remembered from my childhood. Since I could not find a  recipe in any of my cookbooks to the internet I went. By reading what several bakers had done, I somewhat pulled together my own version of several recipes. My jam was not sweet, I added fresh lemon juice, a small amount of brown sugar, a pinch of salt and some water which was cooked  down to a jam consistency. Meanwhile I whipped up the dough. The methods of making the fig newtons varied considerably, I went for what seemed was the easiest method for me, but it still turned out to be a bit tricky. The tricky part was getting the second layer onto the cookie.

 Yet, I could hardly wait for them to cool so I could cut them into squares and give them a proper tasting.  Oh my, how delicious! They certainly are not the prettiest bar, but they are downright bona fide delicious! 

                                           " The fig tree has ripened its figs

                            And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrances."

                                                      Song of Solomon 2:13