In Season: How to Buy the Best Figs

Buy: Go for soft (but not squishy) fruit that smells fresh. Past-their-prime figs will smell funky or fermented. There are hundreds of fig varieties, but you're most likely to find Black Mission (dark-purple skin, reddish-pink flesh) or Calimyrna (greenish-yellow skin, peachy-pink flesh) at the market. 

Store: When you get home, arrange figs in a single layer and stick them in the fridge, where they'll keep for up to 1 week. Leaving them piled on top of one another could lead to bruising, which speeds up spoilage. 

Prep: Give 'em a quick rinse and remove the stem if it's still attached. Slice figs for topping salads or desserts; halve them and cook them on the grill; wrap them in prosciutto—or just pop them in your mouth!

More fig recipes to try:

• Black Mission Fig Cheesecake
• Sweet Fig Flatbread
• Caramelized Fig Cookies