Fig preserves        


    My last entry was about the native flora found on Ocracoke, and, of course, I made mention of the fig tree.  Afterwards, I began to think of the various ways we put our figs to use.  Fig preserves are an immediate go-to when it comes to an abundance of the fruit, and the jam lasts for a very, very long time.  Some people like to eat them just as they are, freshly ripe.  I love to halve them, drizzle with olive oil, crumble bleu cheese on top, and bake them in the oven.  They’re excellent as hors d’oeuvres that way.  For as long as I can remember, and probably as long as most nowadays can remember, however, fig cake is the favorite way to make use of figs on Ocracoke.  In honor of that tradition, I decided to post a classic Ocracoke fig cake recipe.


Fig cake

Ocracoke Fig Cake

1 cup salad oil

1½ cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. soda, dissolved in a little hot water

2 cups flour

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

½ cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup preserved figs, chopped

1 cup chopped nuts

Beat the eggs; add sugar and oil.  Sift dry ingredients; add to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk.  Add vanilla and fold in figs and nuts.  Pour into greased oblong pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes - 1 hour, or in a well-greased tube pan (bundt) at 350 degrees just a little longer.

            If you are unable to make fig cake yourself, there are plenty of places on Ocracoke you can try it.  Café Atlantic and The Back Porch Restaurant both serve fig cake seasonally.  Woccocon Gifts stand on Lighthouse Road has made-to-order fig cakes.  Even the Ocracoke Fish & Seafood Company sometimes sells slices of locally made fig cake.  By all means, if you get the chance to taste Ocracoke fig cake, you should!

“Until tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow”

Chrisi