NEW YORK — This morning, I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, went outside and picked my breakfast of fresh figs. No, I’m not vacationing near the Mediterranean coast. Nor am I in California or the South. I’m at home in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, where the fig tree in my tiny garden is covered in ripening fruit.

I’ve had the tree for 15 years, but when the figs arrive, it still seems like a miracle. As a lifelong New Yorker, harvesting fruit off my own tree wasn’t something I expected would become a late-summer rite.

But it has, and there is nothing that compares to that simple pleasure of pulling a piece of soft purple fruit off a tree branch in my own backyard. Although I can still hear delivery trucks idling, sirens shrieking and cars honking, the fig tree makes me feel at least momentarily connected to the earth.

Planting the tree was my Italian-American mother-in-law’s idea. When I moved into the brownstone in 1997, she regaled me with stories of fig trees all over Brooklyn. Potted fig trees thriving on patios in Park Slope. Fig trees tucked in postage-stamp yards in Dyker Heights. Fig trees spreading out regally in gardens in Bay Ridge. They were especially abundant in Carroll Gardens, where everyone with a spare foot of soil grew a lush tree that bore enough fruit to share with friends and relatives.

While there are fig trees growing all over the five boroughs, they are predominantly in Brooklyn, said Annie Hauck-Lawson, an authority on New York City food culture and history, because Brooklyn had a large influx of Italians from the beginning of the 20th century until World War II.

They arrived in America bearing cuttings, explained Michele Scicolone, a writer specializing in Italian-American culinary traditions.

In Carroll Gardens, Tony DiDio’s grandfather Biagio planted a fig tree in 1940 in homage to his Sicilian roots. The tree, now cared for by DiDio, is a treasured part of their family tradition.

“Every August,” he said, “all anyone in my family talks about is the tree. ‘How are the figs doing?’ they all ask me. The tree is like a member of the family.”

Lamb and Fig Kebabs with Honey and Rosemary

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 lg sprigs rosemary, leaves minced

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 TBS honey

1 tsp black pepper

11⁄4 tsp coarse kosher salt, more to taste

1 tsp Asian fish sauce or soy sauce

2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

12 lg ripe figs

11⁄2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch chunks

Chopped fresh mint leaves, for serving

Lemon wedges, for serving

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. (If you are broiling the kebabs instead of grilling, skewers are optional.) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, honey, pepper, salt and fish sauce, and stir well to dissolve the salt. Stir in oil.

Thread the figs on skewers; if you are not using skewers, spread the figs on a baking sheet. Make sure the figs don’t touch one another. Brush with some of the rosemary marinade and set the figs aside.

Add lamb to the bowl with remaining marinade and toss well. If you have time, let the lamb marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

Light the grill or heat the broiler. Thread the lamb on skewers or spread on a baking sheet, leaving room between the pieces to get more of a char. Grill or broil kebabs for 3 to 5 minutes, turning them once. (If broiling, cook as close to the heating element as possible. You don’t need to turn them.)

Sprinkle lamb with fresh mint, then serve lamb and figs with lemon wedges.