It’s the season of plenty, fruit and vegetables in abundance, and it seems that everyone has too much of something!

Noi abbiamo troppe melanzane, un’amica nostra troppi pomodori, ed un’altra amica, l’Olga, troppi fichi. – We have too many aubergines/eggplants, a friend of ours too many tomatoes, and another friend, Olga, has too many figs.

Olga called us in desperation: ‘Per favore, venite a raccogliere dei fichi. Ho l’albero pieno, mio marito non li mangia, mio figlio non li mangia, a me piacciono molto ma non posso mica mangiarli tutti da sola.’ – ‘please come and pick some figs. My tree is full, my husband doesn’t eat them, my son doesn’t eat them, I love them but I can’t exactly eat them all on my own.

Well Geoff and I are matti per i fichi – mad about figs – so it didn’t take much persuasion. We decided to drive over to Olga’s place later in the afternoon when the solleone – lion sun – was a bit less intense. We’ve been having temperatures of over 40 degrees C = 104 degrees F – just lately, and didn’t fancy being roasted alive.

Olga was waiting for us with il suo cesto foderato di foglie di fico – her basket lined with fig leaves – and we set off down the parched hillside below their beautiful yellow ochre villetta to the shady place below il fico – the fig tree – where the golden fruit hung in abundance.

Mamma mia come sono buoni, sono proprio i migliori che abbiamo mai assaggiato  dalle nostre parti! – Wow, they are so good, really the best that we’ve ever tasted where we live!

Having filled il cesto we retreated to Olga’s shady terrazza for una tazza di tè, – a cup of tea -  yes, not very Italian I know but Olga insisted on making a pot of tea in Geoff’s honour.

Above: The fruits of our labour. See if you can you spot the cat in the first photo?

Now, what to do with all of those figs? As much as we love them we can’t eat them all without giving ourselves a serious mal di pancia – stomach ache! The solution:

Marmellata di Fichi

Pesate i fichi dopo averli privati del picciolo e il più possibile della buccia, e tagliateli in quarti – Weigh the figs after having first removed the leafstalk and as much as possible of the peel, and cut them in quarters

Metteteli in una ciotola capiente e, per ogni chilo di polpa dei fichi, aggiungete il succo di mezzo limone e duecento grammi di zucchero – Put them in a mixing bowl and, for each kilo of fig pulp, add the juice of half a lemon and two hundred grams of sugar

Mescolate bene e lasciate riposare per un paio d’ore – Mix well and leave it to rest for a couple of hours

Trasferite il contenuto della ciotola in una grossa pentola e fate cuocere per circa mezz’ora, mescolando spesso per non fare attaccare la marmellata – Transfer the content of the mixing bowl into a large saucepan, and cook for half an hour stirring often to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom

Aggiungete altri duecento grammi di zucchero per ogni chilo di polpa dei fichi e fate cuocere finché la marmellata non ha raggiunto la giusta consistenza – Add another two hundred grams of sugar for each kilo of fig pulp and let it cook until the jam has reached the right consistency

Invasate la marmellata quando è ancora calda e sigillate i barattoli – Bottle the jam while it’s still hot and seal the jars

Gustate la marmellata di fichi durante i freddi e bui giorni invernali quando sentirete nostalgia per i profumi estivi – Enjoy the fig jam during the cold dark days of winter when you feel nostalgia for the smells of summer