Just had my first fig
TheTruth1983
Posts: 13,462 Forum Member
✭✭
It wasn't bad at all although I imagine it would have tasted better fresh from the tree.
Anyone had a freshly picked fig before?
Anyone had a freshly picked fig before?
0
TheTruth1983
Posts: 13,462
Comments
I was never keen on dried figs anyway.
I'll put it on my list !
Do they have a season ?
I was wondering what the crap in the grass under the tree was, then I realised they were overripe figs.
Those still on the tree were beautiful.
Same here before yesterday
Eh???
Figs are fertilized by a tiny wasp, called (rather predictably!) a fig wasp. The female burrows into the young fig fruit, lays eggs and dies. The eggs hatch, develop into wasps, mate and the males die, the females leave and go to other figs carrying pollen with them.
So a fertilized fig must have dead wasps in - though the fig secretes enzymes that dissolve the bodies.
Mind you I'm not sure all figs must have wasps as I think the fig can develop without them, it just won't have any fertile seeds.
So I think it unlikely a fig from the UK will have wasps as there are so few trees for the wasps to get to. Figs from the med where there are lots of fig trees almost certainly will. Bon appitit!
TBH, it's just bland........not much taste of anything
I cut it into quarters and sucked the flesh out.........I take it you're not meant to eat the purple skin ?
I'll finish them but probably won't buy any more.........they're not as tasty as the dried ones..........
The ones I've had in the UK have been quite subtle in taste - I suspect they are picked a bit early so they can survive the journey over. Do try them abroad if you can as they have a much stronger flavour then.
I eat the skin personally. The other day I tried making figs on toast - basically just scooping all the flesh out onto the toast and then mashing it about until it was of a 'spread' texture - it worked quite agreeably
Super market figs always seem gloopy and lack any of the flavour of my fresh ones, so i don't bother with them anymore, even the farmers market i go to they have fresh ones and although i could just be biased they don't even stand up to mine.
Almost every food that has been harvested will have insect in it in one form or another, i read on website a while ago that stuff like peanut butter and tomato sauce can have fruit fly eggs in them etc etc
As for the Fig wasp and figs, you get a variety of different figs and some do pollinate this way it's called mutualism you can't have those figs without the wasp, UK grown Figs are self fertile though and don't need the fig wasp, which is good news as you don't really have Fig wasps in the UK.
We see them over here late summer to October but the way they keep fruit now it is hard to know how old the fruit is once it reaches the shelf.
Two years ago I was lucky enough to get some packs of 4 on the reduced shelf, 30p a pack. I bought the lot and made a fabulous jam - the seeds add a wonderful crunch - and still have a pot left.
... me too I keep giving them a try now and again but am always disappointed its the same with olives I really want to like them too.