Figs!

I grew up eating dry figs, and always liked them, and naively thought that that was just the way figs came; dry. It was on a family vacation to Portugal when I was a teenager that I first tasted a fresh fig. It was late August, and we were driving in the southern region of the country when my Dad suddenly stopped the car at the side of the road. He clambered up a bit of a hill and exclaimed that it was a fig tree full of fruit. Never being one to say no to food, I got out of the car and joined him on the fill where he handed me my first fresh fig. Since then, I have always associated figs with warm weather and warm climate, that is until last fall.
It was the beginning of September and I went to pay rent to my Sicilian landlord. He and his wife were both outside and showed me their garden which included a massive fig tree! I was completely blown away. He was equally blown away by the fact that I recognized a fig tree and liked fresh figs. His wife then picked me a basket of them and when I arrived at my parents that afternoon with them , my Dad had a fit...in a good way.
Last week, my land lady knocked on my door asking when I wanted to come and pick up my figs...I guess living in a small town does have it's benefits :)