Pick your own figs at Son Mut Nou: A day of scent, sun and old trees

Pick your own figs at Son Mut Nou: A day of scent, sun and old trees

On 21 hectares the fig is celebrated — and visitors are allowed to harvest

Anyone who leaves the maze of PM roads around Llucmajor on a hot August morning and turns toward Son Mut Nou immediately notices: this is something grounded. The air smells of dry dust, fig leaves and the sweet ripeness rising from the trees. Cicadas chirp, a tractor rumbles in the distance, and people with straw hats and baskets stroll beneath low canopies.

The property belongs to Montserrat Pons, a pharmacist who has coordinated the care of this grove for around three decades. On roughly 21 hectares there are about 3,200 fig trees planted in rows, gathered from many regions of the world. Pons has collected more than 1,400 different varieties and makes it clear to visitors that the fruit is more than just food: it is culture, history and craft at once. Similar village events are described in Fig Fragrance and Hoofbeats: A Village Evening in Lloret de Vistalegre and Ses Salines.

A dedicated section is reserved for Balearic varieties, and near the main house there is a small fig museum with 111 specimens of particular historical and cultural interest. Among them are rare examples such as Ficus religiosa, whose relatives appear in faraway tales, or Ficus palmata, which the estate owner describes as one of the parent forms of many current varieties. Visitors hear such anecdotes in passing; Pons patiently explains which fruits are suitable as table varieties and which are more for processing.

That is practical: anyone who does not only want to taste can pick with their own basket. Picking is free, and the farm shop weighs the harvest. In the summer months the estate charges five euros per kilo for freshly picked fruit. Son Mut Nou is open year-round on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. — ideal for combining morning air and shade.

Inmaculada Concepción is responsible on site for the farm shop, logistics and winter pruning. In the small sales room there are homemade products: dried figs, salt with fig pieces, preserved fruits and a house fig liqueur. The range is deliberately simple; it's about what grows here and what the neighbors would miss on their breakfast table.

Agricultural literature and technology meet on the estate: irrigation runs via drip systems, and Pons uses traditional stable manure as fertilizer. According to him, this results in figs that can be considered organic because synthetic chemicals are largely avoided. For the island this is not only a culinary value: such facilities preserve genetic diversity and safeguard old varieties that would otherwise disappear elsewhere.

For Mallorca this has several positive sides: Son Mut Nou keeps land in productive use, offers guests a different, slower holiday experience and creates awareness for local food. Those who fill their baskets here experience directly how climate, soil and centuries-old varieties work together. It does not affect bed capacity, nor does it replace large farms — it complements the picture of an island with rural depth. Further coverage of rural stays appears in Fincas, not Deckchairs: Mallorca from Plant to Plate.

Practical tips for visiting: water, a hat and sturdy shoes are helpful, as is a small knife to gently open ripe fruits. Respect for the trees is paramount: only harvest ripe fruits, do not break off branches and check everything carefully before eating. If desired, visitors can buy a jar of preserved figs or a bag of dried pieces as a souvenir after picking. For ideas on local markets and seasonal events see Autumn Festivals in Mallorca: Olive Oil, Honey & Wine and Sunday Delights in Mallorca: Paprika in Felanitx, Wine in Consell, Nature in Inca.

Son Mut Nou is also a place of discovery: visitors report how differently varieties look and taste — some very sweet, others with a more tart note. This diversity turns picking into a small taste journey; it is an immediately sensory experience for children and adults alike.

In the end, the impression remains of a place that is tended and run with love. It is less a museum to look at than a field to take part in. Those who come to Llucmajor and want to escape the shimmering coastal heat will find here peace, a handful of history and the simple luxury of eating a fruit straight from the tree.

For the island, such initiatives are important: they preserve varieties, create jobs and remind us that Mallorca is not only made up of beaches. A visit to Son Mut Nou sends you home with a full basket, a jar of liqueur and a new appreciation for the fig — and perhaps with the desire to return next year.