All about Fig and Fig Tree

The Common fig (Ficus carica) is a large, deciduous shrub or small tree native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Portugal). It grows to a height of 6.9-10 metres (23-33 ft) tall, with smooth grey bark. The leaves are 12-25 centimetres (4.7-9.8 in) long and 10-18 centimetres (3.9-7.1 in) across, and deeply lobed with three or five lobes. The fruit is 3-5 centimetres (1.2-2.0 in) long, with a green skin, sometimes ripening towards purple or brown. The sap of the fig's green parts is an irritant to human skin.
Cultivation and uses
The Common Fig is widely grown for its edible fruit throughout its natural range in the Mediterranean region, Iran, Pakistan and northern India, and also in other areas of the world with a similar climate, including Louisiana, California, Georgia, Oregon, Texas, South Carolina, and Washington in the United States, south-western British Columbia in Canada, Nuevo León and Coahuila in northeastern Mexico, as well as Australia, Chile, and South Africa. Figs can also be found in continental climate with hot summer, as far north as Hungary, and can be picked twice or thrice per year. Thousands of cultivars, most unnamed, have been developed or come into existence as human migration brought the fig to many places outside its natural range. It has been an important food crop for thousands of years, and was also thought to be highly beneficial in the diet.
The edible fig is one of the first plants that was cultivated by humans. Nine subfossil figs of a parthenocarpic type dating to about 9400-9200 BC were found in the early Neolithic village Gilgal I (in the Jordan Valley, 13 km north of Jericho). The find predates the domestication of wheat, barley, and legumes, and may thus be the first known instance of agriculture. It is proposed that they may have been planted and cultivated intentionally, one thousand years before the next crops were domesticated (wheat and rye).
Figs were also a common food source for the Romans. Cato the Elder, in his De Agri Cultura, lists several strains of figs grown at the time he wrote his handbook: the Mariscan, African, Herculanean, Saguntine, and the black Tellanian (De agri cultura, ch.). The fruits were used, among other things, to fatten geese for the production of a precursor of foie gras.
Figs can be eaten fresh or dried, and used in jam-making. Most commercial production is in dried or otherwise processed forms, since the ripe fruit does not transport well, and once picked does not keep well.

Fig, dried, uncooked
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy: 1,041 kJ (249 kcal)
Carbohydrates: 63.87 g
Sugars: 47.92 g
Dietary fiber: 9.8 g
Fat: 0.93 g
Protein: 3.30 g
Thiamine (Vit. B1): 0.085 mg (7%)
Riboflavin (Vit. B2): 0.082 mg (5%)
Niacin (Vit. B3): 0.619 mg (4%)
Pantothenic acid (B5): 0.434 mg (9%)
Vitamin B6: 0.106 mg (8%)
Folate (Vit. B9): 9 %u03BCg (2%)
Vitamin C: 1.2 mg (2%)
Calcium: 162 mg (16%)
Iron: 2.03 mg (16%)
Magnesium: 68 mg (18%)
Phosphorus: 67 mg (10%)
Potassium: 680 mg (14%)
Zinc: 0.55 mg (6%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient database

Nutrition
Figs are one of the highest plant sources of calcium and fiber. According to USDA data for the Mission variety, dried figs are richest in fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin K, relative to human needs. They have smaller amounts of many other nutrients. Figs have a laxative effect and contain many antioxidants. They are good source of flavonoids and polyphenols. In one study, a 40-gram portion of dried figs (two medium size figs) produced a significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity.
Pollination, fruit, and propagation
Although commonly referred to as a fruit, the fig fruit is actually the flower of the tree, known as an inflorescence (an arrangement of multiple flowers), a false fruit or multiple fruit, in which the flowers and seeds grow together to form a single mass. The genus Dorstenia, also in the fig's family (Moraceae), exhibits similar tiny flowers arranged on a receptacle but in this case the receptacle is a more or less flat, open surface.
The flower is not visible, as it blooms inside the fruit. The small orifice (ostiole) visible on the middle of the fruit is a narrow passage, which allows a very specialized wasp, the fig wasp, to enter the fruit and pollinate the flower, whereafter the fruit grows seeds. See Ficus: Fig pollination and fig fruit.

Two crops of figs are potentially produced each year. The first or breva crop develops in the spring on last year's shoot growth. In contrast, the main fig crop develops on the current year's shoot growth and ripens in the late summer or fall. The main crop is generally superior in both quantity and quality than the breva crop. However, some cultivars produce good breva crops (e.g., Black Mission, Croisic, and Ventura).
There are basically three varieties of common figs.

- Caducous (or Smyrna) figs require pollination by the fig wasp and caprifigs to develop crops. Some cultivars are Calimyrna, Marabout, and Zidi.
- Persistent (or Common) figs do not need pollination; fruit develop through parthenocarpic means. This is the variety of fig most commonly grown by home gardeners. Adriatic, Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Brunswick, and Celeste are some representative cultivars.
- Intermediate (or San Pedro) figs do not need pollination to set the breva crop, but do need pollination, at least in some regions, for the main crop. Examples are Lampeira, King, and San Pedro.

Figs plants are easy to propagate through several methods. Propagation using seeds is not the preferred method since vegetative methods exist that are quicker and more reliable (that is, they do not yield the inedible caprifigs).
For propagation in the mid-summer months, air layer new growth in August (mid-summer) or insert hardened off 15-25 cm (6-10 inches) shoots into moist perlite or a sandy soil mix, keeping the cuttings shaded until new growth begins; then gradually move them into full sun. An alternative propagation method is bending over a taller branch, scratching the bark to reveal the green inner bark, then pinning the scratched area tightly to the ground. Within a few weeks, roots will develop and the branch can be clipped from the mother plant and transplanted where desired.
For spring propagation, before the tree starts growth, cut 15-25 cm (6-10 inches) shoots that have healthy buds at their ends, and set into a moist perlite and/or sandy soil mix located in the shade. Once the cuttings start to produce leaves, bury them up to the bottom leaf to give the plant a good start in the desired location.

Many people wonder how to grow figs. These fruit trees are among the easiest of the fruit trees that can be grown. They grow happily in both the ground or containers, making the perfect for all kinds of gardeners. Let's take a look at when to plant fig tree and how to care for your fig tree.
How to grow figs
When it comes to fig tree care, you should know that growing fig trees requires well-drained and fertile soil. The best soil for growing fig trees would be loamy soil that has plenty of organic matter cut through it. Also, be sure the area gets plenty of moisture. The perfect pH for growing fig trees is a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5.
When thinking about how to grow figs, you should know that they should be protected from cold winter winds and direct winter sunlight. Unseasonably warm temperatures can cause your fig trees to grow. If this happens too early in the season, and then another freeze sneaks in, your growing fig trees will be damaged.
When to Plant Fig Trees
For good fig tree care, remember that a northern exposure keeps your fig trees dormant until the time comes that they should be blooming. You can set your dormant, bare-rooted trees out in late fall to early spring. For easy fig tree maintenance, you should choose fig trees that are free of root-knot nematodes.
Fig tree maintenance is not a lot of work. You can plant your growing fig trees about 15 to 20 feet apart. If you are going to train your trees to be bushes instead, plant them 10 feet apart. Either way, there is little fig tree care you will have to administer.
Fig trees like full sunlight and adequate room for growth. Be careful not to have too much nitrogen in the soil. You can fertilize the soil at a rate of one pound of 8-8-8 each year of age of the tree, or each foot tall the tree is. This is to a maximum of 12 pounds and then you would maintain the same rate each year.
With regard to fig tree maintenance, you should fertilize your trees annually. If you have heavy soil, fertilize the tree when the buds swell. If you have loamy soil, you can fertilize with half the amount required when the buds swell and the other half can go down in late May.
Good fig tree care requires some pruning. However, fig trees don't require much. You should prune in late winter just before growth begins so you don't injure the plant.
Harvesting your figs can be done as soon as the fruit is softening. Figs are not tasty until they are ripe, so you will need to let them stay on the tree until fully ripe. Figs will stop ripening once they are removed from the tree. You can store them in the refrigerator for a week or two until you are ready to use them in recipes or eat them.

The figs are a good choice for people who often have low blood sugar levels as quickly raise blood sugar.

General Benefit

It has organic acids and minerals such as potassium and magnesium. Potassium is necessary for the generation and transmission of nerve impulse to muscle activity and interferes with the normal balance of water inside and outside the cell. So also antioxidants, regulate the digestive process, they have power laxative and provide lots of energy. Enzymes also contain flavonoids, iron, beta-carotene and fiber.
Source of provitamin A, which turns into vitamin A, according to the needs of our body. This vitamin is essential for vision, good skin condition, hair, mucous membranes, bones, and for the proper functioning of the immune system.
Its calorific value is high due to the large amount of water and carbohydrates.

The figs, which grow on the same tree of fig trees, are formed on old wood of the branches where they overwinter as small buttons, and grow as branches of three or four pieces. In summer, give a second crop figs, figs, flowers that are actually invested in and the true fruits are tiny seeds that are housed inside.
Characteristics of figs:
- The figs may have different skin colors. May be green, purple or black.
- At the opening appears white or red pulp, hiding hundreds of seeds that do not interfere with eating.
- Unlike other fruits, wrinkles and cracks in the skin reveal the ideal time to eat.
"They are very delicate in their handling and must keep them in a container without washing until you eat them in the refrigerator, which last a couple of days.
- It must reject those who have a bitter flavor or somewhat flattened sides.

Ingredients:

- Half a kilo of dried figs
- 2 oranges
- 2 lemons
- 1 glass of whiskey
- 1 cup brown sugar
- A strong tea

Preparation:

1. The first thing we will do is make a strong tea and put the figs to soak in it.
2. Meanwhile, peel the oranges and lemons and reserve to cut into julienne strips.
3. We pan to the fire: where will the tea and figs, cut peel and juice of oranges and lemons, a glass of whiskey and sugar.
4. This let it cook for about 20 minutes, until liquid is reduced, moving carefully to avoid breaking the figs.
5. It should be as molasses.

This recipe has a medium difficulty. Preparation time is 40 minutes and 25 minutes cooking.

INGREDIENTS:

- 300g frozen puff pastry
- 30g caster sugar
- egg, beaten
- Kiwis
- 200g cream
- 6 figs
- Oranges

PREPARATION:

1. Spread the pastry on floured board until you reach a thickness of 2 mm. Cut the dough into a circle of 22 cm. in diameter, put on a round baking dish and pierce with a fork.
2. With the remains of the paste to make a shaped edge braid to put around the mold. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 25 minutes in preheated oven at 180 º.
3. Whip the cream with sugar and spread half in the center of the disk of pastry has cooled. 5 Peel the figs, cut into slices and place over cream. With the slicing unpeeled orange and place in the center of the bed of figs, forming a crown.
4. With the pastry bag to make a large central rosette of whipped cream and he put the last fig, made segments, forming a flower. Around the pastry place the sliced kiwi cut in half.

The carpaccio is made by cutting thin slices of raw ingredient: meat, fish, scallops, fruit, vegetables, in this case we will do with figs, maintaining that if the touch salty anchovies.

Ingredients:

- 12 figs
- 50 grams of Cabrales cheese
- 20 grams of toasted pine nuts
- 3 Bay of Biscay anchovy fillets
- 4 leaves of fennel
- a drizzle of olive oil

Preparation:

1. Peel the figs and cut them in half lengthwise.
2. Place on a plate or tray where you go to the carpaccio and serve with a spoon or spatula, gently crushed figs, extending to cover the entire surface of the container.
3. Shred cheese and distribute it over the figs.
4. Then, cut the anchovies into 2 cm and also distribute them over the figs.
5. Now do the same with the pine nuts and the leaves of fennel and, finally, water the carpaccio with a drizzle of olive oil and you're ready to serve.

Ingredients:

- 150 gr. wheat flour
- 125 gr. milk
- 75 gr. nuts
- 750 gr. dried figs
- 150 gr. Almond
- 1 shot of anise
- 60 gr. of dates
- 60 gr. gooseberry
- 6 strips of candied orange
- 60 gr. Cranberry
- 6 mint leaves

Preparation:

In a large kitchen bowl very well chop figs, chop the almonds and mix everything with wheat flour. In another bowl, chop the nuts and incorporate them into the mixture. We still add milk and a glass of anise. Enter everything into a mold that have greased with butter. We cover our mix with aluminum foil, we put it in the oven and bake. When you are ready our fig bread, take it out of the oven, allow to cool and to remove the mold. The following dates clean and decorate our bread with them. To finish add the currants, cranberries, candied orange strips and garnish with mint leaves.

For how many?
4 people

The take?
10 minutes

What to take?
A box of toasted bread for appetizers, 1 / 4 kg of blue cheese, best
German, 1 / 2 kg of fresh, ripe figs.

How is it done?
Wash and peel figs, mash well with fork or grinding,
put a small amount of cheese on bread and then put
a teaspoon of ground coffee on top of figs. Try
to go there!

Ingredients:

- 80 to 90 gr. of fresh, ripe figs, in my case was a big one.
- 9 gr. of sweetener powder, or white sugar
- juice of 1 / 2 large lemon
- 2 tablespoons rum or brandy
- 1 / 4 cup filtered water
- 1 / 2 tablespoon butter

Preparation:

In a heavy-bottomed pan place sliced fresh figs, previously washed thoroughly with water, not skinned.

Add butter and place over low heat, when they start to take heat, integrate the other elements and water, and reduce heat to minimum, the cooking takes about 30 minutes or until soft, do not remove or touch , the total time depends on the amount.

Time off the heat, stand until lukewarm, and process. Done!;
Really rich and beautiful.

We need: dried figs, milk and sugar.

We left the figs in pieces (we will have them removed before the ends). The grind in the bowl of a blender with a little milk. The result is a mass to which we add milk gradually while still beating. At the end add a little sugar, but be careful not to go, because the fig already sweet.
The proportion of each pint of milk is to be four figs, although this may vary depending on the size of these.