Highly concentrated source of minerals and vitamins in one bite
I love figs. I fell in love at first taste. It was a wine and cheese tasting at Sirromet Winery. It could have been the wine talking but the love affair started that day and it has never waned.
While bought figs are nice, nothing compares to growing your own and eating it straight off the bush. They are so lusciously sweet with a texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds. Oh my, almost sensual.
Ficus carica is a large, broad-leaved deciduous tree with many unusual features. It usually bears two crops a year and its flowers are hidden on the inside of a pear shaped, fleshy receptacle which becomes the fruit which we call ‘fig’. Figs are pollinated by wasps but don’t need the wasp to form fruit so they are classed as self pollinating.
Figs are oh so tasty and very nutritious, thank goodness with the amount I eat! They have the highest amount of calcium of any fruit, and 100g of dried figs contains 16% of the daily recommended amount.
Figs are also an excellent source of dietary fibre. Fruit fibre has been shown to significantly lower the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. It is also very filling and can help to take the edge off appetite.
Figs are also a good source of iron, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, as well as vitamin K. Figs contain different types of antioxidants and have been shown in studies to raise antioxidant activity. Antioxidants mop up free radicals, which may contribute to the development of cancer, heart disease and the visible signs of aging by damaging DNA and other body systems. The riper the fig, the more antioxidants it contains.
Fig leaves are also surprisingly healthy. Several cultures use the leaves in cooking, particularly to wrap meats and fish. Studies have shown that an extract of fig leaves will increase insulin sensitivity, and may be useful for preventing diabetes. Studies on animals have also shown that fig leaves can reduce the likelihood of heart disease and possibly kill cancer cells as well.
Figs were such an important fruit crop of earlier civilisations in the Mediterranean region and Asia Minor that the Greeks even created laws forbidding the export of the best quality fruit. Figs were also revered in ancient Rome where they were thought of as a sacred fruit. According to Roman myth, the wolf that nurtured the twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, rested under a fig tree.
So many reasons to grow a fig.
The real question is who can grow one?
Figs needs a mild, warm climate and grow best in a sunny situation protected from heavy frosts.
A full grown fig can be over 5 meters high and wide. They can easily be pruned to a more manageable size without affecting fruit crop. They can grow in pots or the ground. If pots is your only option the dwarf variety ‘Figalicious’ may be your best option.
Pruning your fig is very easy as they fruit on new growth so you won’t ever have to worry about losing a crop. The best time to prune is in late winter. During the first few years, you want to try to create a strong central leader with a few healthy main branches coming off that. These main branches will produce new growth each year that's capable of bearing the weight of the fruit. You can trim up to 50% off the tree if necessary in the first year or two to create a stong healthy tree. You can prune every year if necessary as a well pruned fig can last hundreds of years
Similar to other fruit trees, you should remove any dead, broken or rotten branches. Then you remove any crooked or crossed branches. Figs can produce suckers at the base of the tree. It is important to trim these away, you want to encourage growth within the main plant.
Figs have a thick, white, sticky sap that will be released when trimming, it can quickly gum up pruners and other tools so always keep a cloth rag and solvent on hand to clean tools regulary. Always use sharp tools when pruning as blunt tools don’t cut cleanly and will leave the bare ends of wood jagged and frayed, and this can create entry points for pests and diseases.
After pruning always fertilise with Organic Link and once new leaves start to form a fortnightly liquid fertilise with Triple Boost would be beneficial. All fruit trees are heavy feeders so I try to Organic Link my fruit trees every two to three months.
When you plant your Fig tree out make sure you use excellent quality potting mix if planting in pots, we use Searles Platinum Potting Mix. If planting in the ground I use Searles Garden Soil. I add more compost every year to my garden planted fig and mulch with Sugar Cane.
Fig Brown Turkey
A vigorous fig that bears medium sized, richly flavoured figs with a sugary taste, brown skin and pinkish brown flesh.
The crop is usually produced over a prolonged period from summer to late autumn. Eat fresh or dried or use in jams and preservatives.
Fig White Genoa
A good bearer of large sized, long conical shaped, pale green fruit, flesh is reddish-pink with sweet flavour.
Can bear two crops a year. Used for fresh fruit, drying and jam.
Fig Black Genoa
A large sized, conical shaped, fig with purple skin and red flesh that has a very sweet rich flavour.
Can bear two crops a year. Used for fresh fruit, drying and jam.
Figalicious
A compact, small to medium sized tree that produces an abundance of delicious dark red fleshed fruit with purple-green coloured skin in summer. In a large pot will reach 1.0m high x 1.0m wide
Get healthy this year and grow a fig today. By the way they taste great with wine and cheese!