Ticonderoga Fig Groves

Brief History

In 1988 family got interested in exploring something out of ordinary for Northern Virginia's agricultural community. Figs are an incredibly healthy crop, fit into our beliefs relating to organic, sustainable agriculture and they were a real challenge over 20 years ago as almost nothing was known about growing them in our climate and soils.

Thomas Jefferson was fascinated by Mediterranean plants and tried to grow many from that area, including figs and olives, and as a great admirer of his, we decided to continue with his research. In addition to figs, we hope to be able to offer local organic olives and olive oil within next 10 years. We already have bay leaves – a wonderful tree and perfect for the home garden.

Our farm currently grows five main varieties of figs for commercial production we consider proven with over ten years of research. These bear fruits from July through the first frost. We have another 10 varieties we are experimenting with, focusing on flavor, resistance to bad weather, heavy yield and filling gaps and extending the harvest season.

Challenges

Like learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels. Lots of spills and scraped elbows. For every five trees we planted in the early years we have lost at least three. Some varieties we are working with, we still have not solved the riddle of what makes them happy and lose all we plant out. (We keep stock plants in a greenhouse so as to be able to make new plants when we lose those we have planted in the wild out of doors.)

The biggest issues have been soils (figs are quite particular, but with good drainage are happy in most soils), rain (splitting) and getting a fig with good size and flavor (there are hundreds of varieties, and new ones popping up, so just this alone is a challenge as to where to start – or which ones to start with). Deer only recently have become a problem – for many years they ignored them, but recently they have developed a taste for them – but a new grower should have no problems for the first 5 or more years – and they only go for ripe fruit, not the leaves or branches as they do with say apples. Ants are a problem which looks much larger than it is. Ants are very cooperative pests in that they will attack one fig at a time, eat it entirely, then move to the next one, so losses are very small – very much like what we used to say about rabbits when planting peas or beans – plant a few extra for them! Stinkbugs have not yet been a problem.

Currently, there is no fig growers association east of the Mississippi River as figs have never before been a commercial crop east of the Rockies. Which makes it more challenging for growers in our area as far as finding resources for our industry. Number of varieties we are growing are from University of California's germplasm bank.

Ticonderoga farms have two large groves with over 400 trees, in addition to smaller experimental plantings which we harvest from.

Looking Forward

Our goal is to preserve the farm for the sixth generation and beyond as a working productive agricultural enterprise. It will be an educational facility for other farmers, hopefully to be emulated, as well as a source of plants for interested growers. We wish to expand our agritourism activities as well, as without farms there is no food and far too many of the younger generation have little idea of where the food they eat comes from. Without this knowledge farms will slowly disappear and food prices will increase while health decreases. Part of the value of farms goes well beyond the food they produce, especially in the case of organic farms, as they provide clean air, water, wildlife habitat, “air conditioning” for the earth as well as restful and peaceful places for humans to relax and enjoy nature.

Sincerely,

Ticonderoga Farms Family

Fig Recipes

Fig Jam and Honey
Creamy Cheese Torta with Prosciutto, Kalamata Olives, and Fig Jam
Seared Fresh Turkish Delight Figs
Fig and Citrus Salad

More About Figs

Fresh figs are extremely perishable and should be eaten right away. They can be refrigerated for few days, arranged in a single layer on a paper towel-lined tray. They do not ripen if left at room temperature, but if they are a bit too firm, they will soften enough to eat in a day or so. Rinse them under cold water and gently pat dry before serving. The peel is edible and use a sharp paring knife to cut them.

The fruit also has tremendous amounts of fiber, more than any other dried or fresh fruit. Insoluble fiber protects against colon and breast cancer – soluble fiber helps lower blood cholesterol, and figs provide both. (Which also makes them in medium quantity a natural mild laxative, just so you know.) They also are a good source of flavonoids and polyphenols.

Figs have the highest overall mineral content of all fruits. With their standout source of potassium, figs help to control blood pressure. Figs are high in calcium. And as fate would have it, their potassium reduces the amount of calcium lost as a result of high-salt diets. Figs are also a good source of iron, vitamin B6, and the trace mineral manganese.

To find out more about how you can purchase our figs, please call our office at 703-327-4424.

The List of Prestigious Restaurants Serving Our Figs