Fig Season

Fresh figs are one of those things that you can only eat during one brief season a year.  I have never had really good fresh figs in the United States, so for those of you who think you don't like figs, don't be so sure.  I have seen two kinds in Turkey, green and dark purple-brown.  The green ones are more common and both are incredibly sweet and succulent.  We planted a fig tree several years ago and it has grown very fast and this year it has a least twenty figs on it, some of which we have already eaten.  

Our garden is brimming with delicious fruits and vegetables including figs, peaches (now all eaten), plums, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, mint and basil.  We also have pear, apricot and pomegranate trees but they did not produce fruit this year.  Taylan loves to pick the fruit and vegetables.  This morning he reached through the railing on the side of the balcony and picked a green tomato, put it in a flowerpot, and came walking back to where I was sitting with a huge grin on his face.  He then pulled the tomato out and bit it and spat it out again, all while smiling.  I gave him a basket instead of the dirty flowerpot and took him to the garden to pick a red tomato and a plum.  He ate bites of both and seemed very please with himself.  He also likes to pick flowers, but sometimes he eats them instead of smelling them.

Nehir has become more fussy about food.  He is very skinny and so people are trying to get him to eat more, and being Nehir, this makes him less likely to eat.  I tend to feel that kids should make their own food choices for the most part, but I find it hard to stick to my guns when others around me are so worried about his eating.  I have come to a compromise in my mind where I do insist he eats, but I will let him eat alternate foods if he doesn't like what is being served.  This means he eats a lot of cheese.  He still is a good eater in terms of fruits and vegetables, but he likes them plain, not cooked and mixed with other foods.  That is fine with me because I think raw vegetables pack a healthier punch.  His favorite fruit is peaches or seftali (chef - tall - ee).  He is different than many kids because instead of wanting the fuzzy skin removed, this is his favorite part.  He frequently eats all the skin off and leaves the soft middle lying on the table.  

Both kids are doing great, and Selcuk and I are also very happy.  We just had another article accepted for publication!  That means I will have two publications this year, one in which I am the solo author, and one in which I am the first author.  Yay.