back at the fig festival, marie simmons was signing autographs on her ndw fig cookbook. the california fig advisory board says fresh fig consumption has increased by about 60% as a new generation discovers that each fruit is a bundle of goodness. >> they also are very high in b vitamins, and, of course, they have potassium, which most fruit does. but they're--of all fruits, they're right up there at the top with nutritional value. >> the chefs who were serving fig bread pudding were raving over how versatile figs are to cook with. >> so, from my end, they add texture, color, and just a very subtle flavoring. >> figs are believed to be one of the earliest fruits in the world, and were introduced to america around the 1500s. >> and our real goal, though, is now to spread out the demand, introduce more people to figs, fresh figs especially, to get a new group interested in such a, you know, fabulously healthy fruit. >> and judging by all of the peop who came to the fig festival, thousands of california figs will be enjoyed by generations to come. charlotte fadipe, "californ