Fig Newtons

So this blog is not really just about plum trees.  I have a fig tree too.  Let me say that again.  I have a fig tree.  I think that is so cool, fresh figs!  I could make my own fig newtons!  I, however will eat them fresh because I love fresh figs.  I have only eaten a fresh fig once before and it was so good that I still talk about it 16 years later.  But that's all I know about figs, fresh ones taste fabulous and they make fig newtons from them.  Okay I did buy fig jam once, or was that date jam?

Anyhow it was time to head back to my property to check on my figs, to see if they were ready to eat.  I came for the figs and I found plums... lots of plums!  The bear (or maybe even bears) had left me some though.  Well actually, it's a pretty big tree so there were lots.

I did not need the neighbours to tell me about the bears, they left their own marks behind.  The grasses were flattened where bears had walked to get to the plum tree.  The grass was flat where the bear sat while eating the plums.  There were a few broken branches on the ground, which made sense because the neighbours did tell me that the bear even likes to sleep in my plum tree.
.... And if that was not enough, there was bear shit everywhere!

I decided not to pitch my tent on my property and headed for a campsite near the beach.

After camp was set up, (before any rain arrived).  I headed back over to pick my plums before the bear (or bears) ate them all.  I left some way up high that I could not reach.  I am hoping the bear does not kill my tree trying to get them.... I did leave a few over ripe ones on the tree, and there are many on the ground.  Young Ben showed up to help.

So cherries are done and plums are done.  There is another plum tree, the Italian one, (for this one is clearly the yellow plum tree), but it is still small with no fruit.  The apples probably could stay longer, but I think I will pick then tomorrow.  The bear and the deer will eat them too.  The hazelnut tree does not look ready, but I really don't know what a hazelnut looks like when it's ready.  The tree I thought was a walnut tree looks weird more like an apple or round pear??

I did pick some figs!  Some are still small and they are not all ripe. The tree looks very neglected hiding beneath its fig leaves. I picked about 20 or 25.

I brought the wipper snapper... But there is soooo much to cut!  I feel defeated even before the three batteries I brought wear out.

And back to my campsite by the beach the rains arrived at about 5am.  It was not too long after that point that I realized choosing the flat spot at the bottom of the slope was not a good idea after all.  Outside was about 1/2 inch of water.  I love my tent and I was dry inside, but it was time to move before truly testing the bathtub bottom.  Gear went into the car and then the free standing tent was moved to the top slope- yes I said slope.  Fly pegged out just a wee bit more and me and my gear back inside and back to sleep....

Remember the big box of plums ... Well I gave some to Klu and Geoff, some to the folks at the supply store (where I buy my coffee and got the box), and some to my camping neighbours Wendy and Don.  There were still too many sitting on top of each other.  Hmmm...

So the new day's task was to head off to the dollar store for some bins that stack.  The rains stopped long enough for some serious reorganization of the plums and the car.  I separated the good plums from the wounded plums and only stacked then two high. Then after a few errands it was time to consider the apples.

The bear was not there and there was no 'new' bear shit.  I might as well pick them, I thought.  They are quite small and a little tart, but there are so many of them and I am not sure when I will be back.

I have decided that I like picking plums better than apples.  Maybe because at that very moment the plums were perfect for picking.  The apples did not come off the tree so easily, without taking the whole end of the branch off.  I got a bit better at it as I went along. 

But like the tall grass I felt somewhat defeated .. there were so many of them!  Actually it was not just the numbers of apples to plums (to oranges....). The apple tree is just harder to pick with the layout of the branches and they are more brittle, you can't bend them down as easily.  I picked two bins and it was hardly a dent.  

I forgot to mention that it was pouring rain as I was trying to get excited about picking apples.  My rain coat was getting soaked so I did what any sane person would do.... I packed away the bins of apples and I drove to the Rec centre, had a sauna and a hot tub and then back to my tent to read ... 

This latest visit to my property was well timed, not just for the plums, but for blackberries! 
I don't think that I have any blackberry bushes on my property, but they are everywhere in the area.  I did not have to pick any, instead I went to the Blackberry Street Festival!   And I had a blackberry smoothie, some blackberry trifle, some blackberry shortcake, and a banana apple and blackberry muffin with praline topping made by Grandma Rose... who also makes pies. She said she made 40 blackberry pies the day before. And now Grandma Rose was plum out of blackberry pies.  Did I mention the pie eating contest?

Another rainy night in camp but I was dry inside again.  I figured out how not to slide out the front door in the middle of the night and I had a good night sleep.

So I think that one should only pick figs if one is prepared to eat them. 

Even with carefully spacing them out and placing them on paper towels, a few started to grow mould the next day.  Were they over ripe?  Did I pick them wrong?  

I had a dozen left and now it was time to head home with all my fruit.. my fruit loot.