For many Americans, their only association with figs comes in the form of a Fig Newton. And indeed, once upon a time, most of the figs grown in California ended up in fig pastes and cookies like those familiar chewy squares.
But tastes change, and the fig industry has gone through tough times. Lack of demand and the state's ongoing drought has pushed some growers to other crops. Others went out of business.
Growing consumer interest in fresh produce has provided hope that the fig might be poised for a comeback. But that hope comes too late for fig farmers like Tonetta Simone Gladwin.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: NPR
