Fig Leaf Syrup

Late spring always results in a flurry of ambitious leaves on my fig trees, and for that I’m both grateful and annoyed. When I planted the figs 5 years ago they were much smaller, and I didn’t have the foresight to realize that they would eventually block the path to the greenhouse if they were leafed out. I mean honestly, dare it! But lately I’ve been **trying** not to dwell on the negatives too much, so let’s move on to the positives! And that’s REALLY good because there is not one, but TWO (!!) reasons why this is a good thing.

I give you Annex A: The leaves will provide the energy to grow and sweeten the figs themselves later in the summer (heh!) E Annex B: His Also because the leaves themselves hold secret knowledge that I share with you here today. And that secret fact? Well, you probably guessed it from the title of the blog post (not to take the wind out of your sails), but the leaves themselves are edible and Actually really delicious! Now, that doesn’t mean you should grab a fig leaf and take a big bite willy-nilly like you would a salad. No, just like coffee beans, fig leaves require a bite of effort for your reward. That is, they need to be lightly “roasted” in the oven and then boiled in a liquid like syrup or milk to extract the flavor, just as you would with tea leaves. The result of this quick bit of cooking is a delicious aroma reminiscent of toasted almonds, coconut, and vanilla mixed together (yuyumyumyumyum), and that’s the little-known magic of fig leaf syrup.

So now that you’re in on the secret, don’t tell anyone. Make fun of! You can tell people. I told you. I mean really, who am I to say don’t tell anyone, I just said it on the internet, and it’s basically the same thing as telling a billion people. Anyway! The recipe I’m sharing here is essentially a simple syrup made with a mixture of honey and granulated sugar, because I *really* love the way the honey adds flavor to the fig leaves. But if you want the pure, unadulterated flavor of fig leaves, you can feel free to replace the honey with good old granulated sugar.

As for what you can do with fig leaf syrup, it is TRULY *extremely* great as a sweetener for your morning coffee or tea (← that’s why I use mine and let me tell you: it’s a treat with a capital T!) You can also drizzle it on unfrosted cake to sweeten it up a bit, or on top yogurt and granola for a little extra sweetness, or use it in place of any cocktail recipe that calls for simple syrup to infuse a little extra flavor into your drink. But the syrup is not the only way to enjoy the flavor of the fig leaf, it is also a truly wonderful experience panna cotta, mashed potato! I’ve also made fig leaf extract (aka infused vodka) in the past, but I’m having a hard time finding recipes online for it, so I’ll just have to write it down and share it next year during fig season 🙂 And once you have really cool, this cheesecake is also really exceptional. Have fun, my friends!!