There they sit in their dusky purple or light green glory. So sweet, so soft, so decadent. Figs. Figs have two short seasons: July and late September”¦ so get them while you can.

They are special because they don’t travel well, don’t last long and their season is short, so I’m always tempted to buy them.

But, once I get them home, I tend to fall back on the same old variations of easy appetizers. Sometimes I’ll stuff them with blue cheese and top them with toasted nuts. Or maybe I’ll stuff them with goat or cream cheese and wrap them in prosciutto. Both are worthy, but not too exciting.

But figs are much more versatile than you might think. They are great with creamy sweet things like ice cream and yogurt for dessert, and the classic prosciutto pairing proves their worth in savory dishes.

Here are a few recipes from the web to get your fig creativity flowing.

The usual fig pairing suspect, prosciutto, makes an appearance here in this arugula salad with Parmesan and figs from Epicurious.

This article in Seattle PI offers a host of ideas, but the one I’m interested in is the Fettuccine with Lemon, Rosemary, and Fresh Figs.

And from Simply Recipes, we have a super simple Fig Galette for dessert. This would be wonderful garnished with a little crème fraîche.

Image: David Nikon vs. Canon

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As summer slowly morphs into fall the scent of apples permeates the market stalls. So many varieties – from Pink Ladies, to McIntosh, to our beloved Gravensteins. Today I’m getting ready to make the season’s first apple pie (from the apples you see pictured above, in fact), but why stop there? Apples are versatile in desserts, salads, and as side dishes. And, if you have a windfall, don’t forget apple butter.

Here’s a sampling of great sounding apple recipes from around the web.

The Kitchn brings us this super decadent sounding Sticky Spiked Double Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Brandy Sauce. Originally from the book, In the Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley, this looks like it should be regulated as a controlled substance.

From Epicurious we have a lovely fall salad with Escarole, Apples, Candied Walnuts, and Saint Andre Cheese.

And for the canners and preservers among us, Simply Recipes creations are always rock solid so this apple butter recipe would be my go-to version.

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post Sweet, Savory, Spreadable: Fall’s First Fruit 3 Ways appeared first on EcoSalon.

This week summer came to the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time in a while, leaving fog-drenched residents blissed out but panting from the searing heat. Seems to be the perfect time to eat chilled soup for supper.

When most of us think of cold soup, gazpacho, or perhaps chilled potato leek soup, comes to mind. But a look around the web reveals a rich treasure of creative concoctions using summer ingredients and flavor profiles.

Martha Stewart Living has a giant chilled soup section with a whopping 40 recipes for chilled soups.

My two top picks are the Cucumber-Buttermilk Gazpacho with crunchy Spain-inspired garnishes and the Chilled Corn and Coconut Soup.

If you’re like me, you’re still trying to think of creative ways to use the zucchini onslaught. This recipe for Chilled Zucchini Soup from Epicurious fits the bill.

I’m not crazy about gazpacho. The kitchen sink mentality of cooking evident in most gazpacho recipes always makes me feel like I’m spooning salsa into my mouth. The different vegetables don’t seem to ever hang together into a cohesive whole. However, while this Chilled Tomato Soup with Cilantro and Yogurt Swirl from Eating Well gives a nod to gazpacho, it sounds much simpler and way more interesting, due to the addition of smoky chipotle chiles and the well considered garnishes.

Main image: Ulterior Epicure via Flickr Creative Commons. Other images from Martha Stewart Living, Epicurous and Eating Well respectively.

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With the recent news that the capsaicin in the humble chili pepper can help fight fat, it seems like a fine time to do a round up of fiery foods.

Not only that, spicy foods are great in the summer because, though it may seem counter intuitive, they make you sweat, which cools you off.

So beat the heat and the blubber with chilis!

For a perfect grilled dinner on a hot summer night try this fiery Balinese sambal with grilled shrimp. Make sure you buy U.S Farmed or wild caught spot prawns according to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.

Staple of Thai restaurants, the famous Green Papaya Salad is actually surprisingly easy to make at home. Green papayas can be found in Southeast Asian grocery stores and produce markets. It really does matter that you buy a green (unripe) papaya. A ripe papaya just isn’t the same. Here’s a recipe from Food and Wine. I like to make this in the summer and serve it with steamed rice and grilled chicken marinated in fish sauce, pepper, lime juice, and pounded garlic. The leftovers keep well for a refreshing lunch the next day.

If you’ve ever enjoyed Peruvian food, you’ve probably experienced a bright yellow, spicy chili sauce. It’s called Aji Amarillo and here’s a DIY recipe version. Peruvian cooks blend it with feta or ricotta to make a dip for potatoes, or mix it with lime juice and garlic to make a sauce for ceviche. Yum!

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post Fighting Fat with Fire: Three Spicy Chili Recipes from Around the World appeared first on EcoSalon.

Okay, so you know how to shop the farmers’ market and you know that when you shop the farmers’ market, it’s easy to buy what’s local and in season because that’s what the farmers are selling.

But most people still do the majority of their shopping in grocery stores. When faced with six kinds of apples from New Zealand displayed right next to tomatoes from Mexico, pineapples from Costa Rica, and lettuce from California, what’s a local, organic eater to do?

Make Seasonal, Local, and Organic Your Mantra:

Seasonal: If you know what’s in season when in your area, it makes it easier to buy seasonally, even in the grocery store. See below for a handy seasonal produce guide.

Local: Take a look at the grocery store signage to find out where the produce was grown. It’s one thing to buy bananas from Costa Rica, if you must have your bananas, but it makes no sense to buy September’s apples from New Zealand when they are harvested in almost every region in the U.S during the fall.

Organic: Look for the USDA Certified Organic label. Buying organic minimizes your exposure to toxic chemicals and supporting organic growers is better for the planet. If you’re worried about the extra expense, remember that if you buy locally grown organic produce at peak production, prices will be lower.

Once you start eating seasonally, you’ll discover a new joy in food. When you’ve waited all year for that first juicy, local, ripe tomato, instead of eating cardboard flavored ones year round, you’ll enjoy it so much more.

Seasonal Produce Guide:

Many items overlap into two seasons and items grown underground, like fennel, carrots, radishes, and beets can be grown year-round in some parts of the country. Temperate climates also support nearly year-round availability of some greens and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and mustard greens. This list will be helpful for most parts of the country.

Spring – Asparagus, snap peas, English peas, snow peas, green garlic, artichokes, greens, lettuces, fava beans, radishes, potatoes, carrots, leeks, spring onions, kiwis, citrus, strawberries, rhubarb

Summer – Corn, green beans, summer squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, basil, berries (all types) Stonefruit: peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, figs, grapes

Fall – Greens, beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, winter squash, fresh shelling beans, sweet potatoes, root vegetables, tomatoes, tomatillos, pears, apples, Asian pears, figs, grapes, melons, persimmons, pomegranates,

Winter – leafy greens, winter squash, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, root vegetables including beets, turnips, rutabega, fennel, carrots, potatoes, celery, citrus, dried fruit, pears and apples (stored from fall)

Enjoy these links to seasonal recipes for some of each season’s most characteristic produce items.

Spring:

10 Recipes for Artichokes from Cooking Light

Pea Recipes from Eating Well

Summer:

Corn Recipes and Tips from Epicurious

Stonefruit Recipes from Saveur

Fall:

Tomato Recipes and Tips from Epicurious

Apple Recipes from Smitten Kitchen

Winter:

Broccoli Recipes from Mariquita Farm

Winter Squash Recipes from 101 Cookbooks

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

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