Hi Mary,

>>>Most of the dried fruit here has sulfur dioxide on it, does anyone know
anything about this additive? Where can we find dried  figs without this
additive?

I get unsulphured dried dates, figs, prunes, raisins, and apricots at my
local  health food store.  I've gotten such dried fruits with out sulfites
for years.  Walnut Acres (mail order catalog) also sells such dried fruit
but you should be able to get it in your local health food stores---Whole
Foods, Wild Oats, etc.

Check online for info on sulfites.  It's a preservative that prevents
discoloration of fruit....it's totally unnecessary.  I've found soft, tasty,
unsulfited dried apricots in my local  health food store and I live in a
less than progressive place: Toledo, OH.

I have a small fig tree and it has some immature figs on it, how do we dry
figs?

Check a book on food dehyrating.

>>Last year I remember seeing my neighbors trim their fig tree throwing
out branches loaded with figs!

Ask them if you can have them!!!!  You could use them in holiday gift packs
with packages of nuts!  When I lived in England (for 6 months) they had this
great fig-cake that was nothing more than dried figs stuffed with almonds
and anise seeds, pressed into a cake then cut into slices.

Happy eating,
Rachel