Figs and Blackberries! Aren't they scrumptious! Just look at those beautiful colors! Last weekend Matt and I were down walking through the vineyards when we discovered a small fig tree, the figs were just beginning to ripen. We decided to sample one to see if it was ready... Oh! I'm not sure if I've ever tasted a fig so delicious, and the color inside...I've never seen a prettier pinkish-purplish red color. We then went on to a different vineyard and on the way out I asked Matt to stop to see if another fig tree along the road had any...did it ever! It was loaded! Unfortunately we didn't have anything to put them in, and they weren't all ripe so we took what we could and promised to come back. Well, yesterday I did, and what fun I had. I started with the big one which is technically in a neighbor's vineyard, but there were so many I didn't think they'd really mind... This tree was so easy to access and was so laiden with ripe figs, I finally had to stop myself as the bag I had was getting heavy and I didn't want them to become mush. Then I decided to go back and check out the little one too, afterall I didn't want all that yummy fruit to go to waste! As I was carefully avoiding the prickly branches of the blackberry bush that surrounds the base of the fig tree, I noticed that suddenly the blackberries were ripe too! We've been watching them and for the last couple of weeks they've been under-ripe and smallish, but suddenly, WOW! There they were, plump, black, and ready to be picked. I picked all that I could around the fig tree and then decided to walk around the vineyard on the wooded side to see if there were any more, yes they were everywhere! So I picked and picked and picked. I filled my pockets, the bag, everything I could. Then, on the way out, along the little dirt road there were even more. What fun I had. I'll go back again this weekend to get more, I'd like to make some blackberry jam. Matt, he wants the blackberry pie his Grandma used to make, so we'll try to replicate it! Then maybe some nectarine and blackberry crumble and a fig and blackberry tart. Seems we eat a lot of dessert in the summer, there's just so much good fruit, you have to take advantage of it!