May is Mediterranean Month! Celebrate Mediterranean Month this May. Healthy eating and healthy foods enjoyed with family and friends, that’s the Mediterranean way. Key components of Mediterranean cuisine include lots of plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, healthy fats, such as olive oil, and fish and poultry. If desired, include red wine in moderation....

Spring in California’s Fig Orchards! It’s spring in California’s sunny San Joaquin Valley—home to nearly 100 percent of the nation’s fig orchards. At this time of year, most fig growers are completing the last of the winter deep watering. Pruning is near completion and new weeds are mowed and cleared. Replacement trees are planted in place of trees lost since...

Love At First Bite Contest Winners! Many thanks to everyone who entered our Facebook contest, Love at First Bite. We had so many great entries. Our grand prize winner, Richard W. from South Carolina, will be jetting off to Boston to watch a filming of America’s Test Kitchen and enjoy a “Taste of Boston”. Visit our Facebook page and website...

Jump for Joy, It’s January We are so excited 2013 is finally here. We’ve been busy creating new contests and opportunities for you to win lots of fun stuff this year. Along with our contests, we have Twitter parties planned with the experts at America’s Test Kitchen and we have a host of amazingly delicious new recipes. On a healthy...

Raising the Bar with California Figs As the holidays fast approach, baking and gift giving are in the air. Bar cookies, in all their gloriously delicious variations, make the perfect gift for friends and family.   Take your holiday baking up a notch this season by using California Figs. From Fig & Goat Cheese Squares to Chocolate Fig Pecan Bars we...

Fresh to Dried–Figs are Marvelous! Figs ripen on the trees August through October. Beginning in October, the growers harvest the semi-dry figs and bring them to our packing plant in Fresno, California.  We wash, sort and process the figs, ultimately packing the best ones available for you to enjoy throughout the year. Drying concentrates the flavor and nutrition and gives...

Host a Party with International Flair and Flavor! We are a global community in so many ways, enjoying food, music and sports from around the world. No matter what the sport or where the athete hails from, we love and appreciate experiencing outstanding athletic accomplishments. Now is the perfect time to get together with friends, talk about the diversity of...

A Spring to Remember Winner of the Fig Photo Contest Is … Congratulations to Gina Haase, our Grand Prize Winner! Gina’s winning photo of Fig Compote and Chèvre Leaves is stunning. According to Gina, “These tasty little hors h’oeuvres are my go-to for cocktail parties no matter what the season. Afterall, who can resist crispy potato leaves sporting a healthy...

Fabulous Fig Photo Contest Win a Trip to Watch the Taping of America’s Test Kitchen and Meet Chris Kimball Win a trip to Boston to watch a filming of America’s Test Kitchen. We’re holding a Facebook fig photo contest with our friends at Cook’s Country and America’s Test Kitchen. One Grand Prize Winner and their One Guest will receive a...

Special Holiday Recipe Edition Delight Family and Friends Throughout the Holidays Fall brings nature’s show of colors to our fig orchards, a crispness to the air, and warm thoughts of holiday baking. Distinctive, handmade gifts of food are personal and inexpensive—something on everyone’s mind this year. Baking cookies and sweet treats, creating beautiful baskets with unique themes, and putting together...

Delight in the Sweet Summer Taste of California Figs Chocolate-Fig Cookies Make up a batch of fig cookies to enjoy with a cool glass of milk or layered into a sundae with your favorite ice cream. Makes 2 dozen cookies. Heat oven to 375ºF. In large mixing bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat with electric mixer on...

Spring Brings Lots of Holidays and Lots of Occasions to Enjoy California Figs Just in time for Passover! Double Chocolate Fig Macaroons 1 cup Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Figs 2 cups toasted slivered blanched almonds 1 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 large egg 1 large egg white  1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup...