Try Me Days!

We had our first Try Me Day of the school year last Friday. This is a fun event where students get to learn about and taste a food that is being highlighted that day. Our first Try Me food was the Turkish fig. Forty-seven percent of students who tried it liked it!

Fun Facts about Figs

Figs grow on trees, and most people think of them as fruit, but according to the Ecological Society of America, a fig is not a fruit; it is an inflorescence – a cluster of many flowers and seeds contained inside a bulbous stem, or an “inverted flower.”

Figs are very high in fiber. They are also solid sources of many minerals: potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, and phosphorus and essential trace elements, including iron, manganese, zinc, and copper. You’ll get the most nutrients if you don’t peel your figs; the highest concentrations of nutrients are in their skin. Darker fig varieties contain more polyphenols and antioxidant power than lighter ones that keep you healthy and improve your immune system.

As part of a balanced diet, figs can play a role in preventing and managing various diseases and conditions, including cancer, diabetes, constipation, cardiovascular disease, and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. There are more than 750 different varieties of figs. Depending on the variety, the interior flesh of figs may be purple, yellow, or green. Fig skin darkens as it ripens. Look for figs that are plump and soft to the touch, with slightly wrinkled skin. You’ll also want to sniff them; ripe figs have a sweet, earthy scent. 

If you’re looking for fresh figs, you’ll find them in season during the summer and fall months in the northern hemisphere, and in the winter and spring months in the southern hemisphere.

Fun Fig Recipe: Balsamic Fig Jam