Figs

I am Amos ben Yar. I want to tell you about figs. Some people don’t care much for figs, but I love them. Figs are my favorite . Figs are amazing - a perfect food – you can live on a diet of figs alone. They are really flowers, you know, and their blossom is inside of the fruit. There is a hole in the end of the fig where a tiny wasp enters to pollinate the flower. That produces those tiny, nutty seeds that makes Fig Newtons taste so good.. Did you know the edible fig was probably the first ever to be cultivated? Archaeology has dated them to about 9400 BC at the village of had a really good location. You know (in the Jordan Valley, 13 km. north of Jericho). what they say, “Location, location, location.” That’s the very first instance of agriculture It was a short haul up to Jerusalem, and documented scientifically. It predates cultivation of downhill all the way. I carried cartloads of fresh , and by 1,000 years. figs into town and came home uphill running The Bible talks a lot about figs. We know fig empty. Most of the crop, though, dried in the sun is the first fruit we have that’s named in the like raisins. Fresh figs have a shelf life of a day or Bible. had a fig tree in the Garden of so, but dried figs are good for a year. Eden and they sewed fig leaves together for modesty. I had this one fig tree I’ll tell you about. I Later on, in the wilderness Moses told the called it a hypocrite tree. It would put out leaves children of Israel how wonderful the promised land first every spring during the month of Nissan. It was going to be, “A land flowing with milk and really put on a show. Lush foliage… Stayed honey … where every man shall sit under his own green all summer. fig tree.” Fig I suppose could be used as Israelite soldiers carried dried figs for K- ornamental if you called them funny names, like rations. Abigail brought David 200 fig cakes to feed the rubber plant, or Benjamina – the weep- his troops and to appease his anger against her ing fig. I, myself, have no use for a fruitless tree ungrateful husband Nabal. except maybe a fruitless mulberry. Mulberries are When Hezekiah, the king of Judah, turned his not fit to eat anyway. face to the wall and prayed not to die, Isaiah doctored My hypocrite tree never had a fig on it – him with a plaster made of figs and he lived another not one – but it looked good. Everybody that 15 years. passed by went over to check it out. Folks depended on figs for food along the Later on, Jesus, the prophet from Galilee, way when they traveled. would tell a story about the time my helper, There were a lot of fig trees along the public Nathanael, and I tried talking to that tree to see if roads and anybody could pick those. In private we could get it to bear. Seemed sort of silly, but orchards, it was permitted to pick up the figs that fell we took the axe down there and I yelled at it and on the ground, except on Sabbath of course. threatened to cut it down. I whacked it a few I was in the fruit business all my life. My times with the back of the axe and acted really orchard was at Bethphage. That’s a little village on mad – you know: bad cop, good cop routine. the Mount of a just east of Jerusalem. Up the Nathaneal put on a pretty good show too. road the next village was Bethany. Bethany was He begged! He sang it a little song: “Please bear known for dates, and we were famous for our figs. little fig tree, we love your fruit of purple, it The Jericho Road that ran right in front of my place regulates our functions better than maple syrruple. and there was a lot of traffic.

1 You can read about it in Luke 13:6 Jesus if haply he might find any thing thereon: and spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig when he came to it, he found nothing but tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, fruit of thee hereafter for ever. these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig Jesus talked to my tree! I never really tree, and find none: cut it down; why believed in talking to before. Jesus did it. cumbereth it the ground? And he answering And the tree paid attention. He cursed it and it said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, withered. Its leaves fell off. It died all the way till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it down to its . I wouldn’t have believed it if I bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou had not seen it for myself. And I was not the only shalt cut it down. one. Well, I went on and left Nathanael working The whole bunch came by again the next on it. He cultivated it and fertilized it and sweet- day and the big’un, the one named Peter, called talked it. Jesus, the Nazarene, saw him doing it and their attention to the dead fig tree and remarked later chose him to be an apostle. That was curious about how unusual it was. Jesus said God would because Nathanael did not have a high opinion of do the same thing for them too, and more if they Nazarenes back then. had enough faith. He said their prayers can move Anyhow, all his work didn’t do a bit of good. mountains if they have enough faith. I didn’t expect it would. Sure enough, the next year Now, I wonder if the talking-to Nathanael the tree leafed out early in full glory. and I gave that tree might have worked if I’d had Then, just before Passover, Jesus and his higher expectations. Nahhh, probably not. And men came walking by my place. They were staying that is not exactly what Jesus said. It’s not about with Mary, Martha and Lazarus just up the road at faith in what we do; it is about faith in what God Bethany. Jesus noticed my tree. I don’t know can do when we ask, believing. Peter wrought whether he thought the old wood breba crop might be great miracles after Jesus was crucified. He must early, or if he thought there might be a few dried figs have learned that lesson. from last year still on the tree. Unfortunately, I never did. You can read about it for yourself in Mark 11: 12: And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And Barto @ 8 Oct 2009 seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came,

2 WHAT I KNOW ABOUT FIGS

When I was a boy, we lived in the Center Grove community in the southeast corner of Hopkins County Texas. We lived on a 65 acre farm which belonged to my grandmother, Siggie Fanning. We had 2 fig trees near the cistern on the northeast corner of the house. Picking them was one of my chores. Mother made fig preserves and we considered them a delicacy. Served for breakfast with hot buttered biscuits and pork sausage or ham. My mother-in-law, Mozelle Owens had a fig tree at Green Pond and gave us her version of fig preserves – not as sweet as mothers, but absolutely delicious.

I had not had any fig preserves in about 15 years. Not many fig trees in Lubbock, Texas. Some time around my 75th birthday Margie Allbright called and said she had some figs on her tree and the birds were eating them. Did we want to pick them? You bet! – so we got Hannah and went to see her. There were only a few ripe ones, but we got about a gallon. She said George Willis had picked 5 gallons in August. I culled and stemmed them and Phyllis found mother’s fig preserve recipe. Simple recipe: Blanche the figs, add lemon rind to taste, then candy them in a solution until they are transparent. Mmmm they are sooo gooood. Margie’s figs yielded 5 pints of preserves.

Figs are sold by the gallon when you can find them, and they are expensive. They cost $1/gal in 1940. I have not seen any for sale and have no idea what they cost today. Fresh figs are not common today in grocery stores. They do sell Fig Newtons, dried figs and jam made from dried figs.

I gleaned the following information from various sites on the Internet:

Figs are originally from Minor and are one of the first cultivated ever. The Greek mention them and Plato promoted the fig as being the nutrition for athletes. A story is known of the Greek government that had forbidden all export of figs once to assure themselves a good outcome at The Olympic Games. Officially, figs were imported to around 1600. Spaniards brought them to America in 1520. The Greek knew about twenty nine fig sorts. Today there are more than 600 different fig types.

Dried figs contain a lot of sugar, about 60%. (A serving of 3 figs has 22g. of sugar and 100 ) High in , , fiber and plant . It is thought that that was the reason why Plato advised Greek athletes to eat many figs.

3 The milky white juice that drips out of the fruit if the stalk has been broken off is called latex. It was supposed to represent the universal energy and was used as a remedy against infertility and to incite the breast feeding process.

The common fig bears a first crop, called the breba crop, in the spring on last 's growth. The second crop is borne in the fall on the new growth and is known as the main crop. In cold climates the breba crop is often destroyed by spring frosts. The matured "fruit" has a tough peel (pure green, green suffused with brown, brown or purple), often cracking upon ripeness. The interior is a white inner rind containing a seed mass bound with jelly-like flesh. The edible seeds are numerous and generally hollow, unless pollinated. Pollinated seeds provide the characteristic nutty taste of dried figs.

Smyrna figs require by a , psenes, whereas, common figs produce fruit without pollination. The minute flowers of this fig are inside and the wasps are the pollinators. The wasps, only 2 millimeters long, are responsible for the seeds. There is a very small opening through which the wasp enters the fig to do the pollinating.

Franciscan missionaries planted the first figs in in 1769. There are two types of figs grown in California: Smyrna and common figs. Fig-producing regions typically have mild winters and hot, dry summers. The fig tree can withstand some frost and are drought-tolerant. Figs can be grown on a wide range of soils, but the soil should be well-drained. Young figs are grown from rooted cuttings. The trees are planted approximately12 feet apart with 20-28 feet between rows. Fig trees will bear sufficient fruit for commercial harvest after 2-3 years.

The San Joaquin Valley is the predominant fig-producing area in California. California ranks first in the nation in fig production, accounting for nearly 100% of all figs produced nationally. California ranks second, after , in the worldwide production of figs. In 1998, 16,276 acres produced 1.05 tons of dried figs per acre at a price of $586 per ton. The value of California’s fig crop in 1998 was $9,662,554. In 1998, the variety Calimyrna was produced on approximately 45% of the acreage. The varieties Adriatic, Mission and Kadota were produced on 25%, 23% and 7% of the acreage, respectively.

Figs must be allowed to ripen fully on the tree before they are picked. They will not ripen if picked when immature. A ripe fruit will be slightly soft and starting to bend at the neck. Fresh figs do not keep well and can be stored in the refrigerator for only 2 - 3 days. Some fig varieties are delicious when dried. They take 4 - 5 days to dry in the sun and 10 -12 hours in a dehydrator. Dried figs can be stored for six to eight months.

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Question We planted a four foot Brown Turkey fig tree in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the spring. We mixed soil enhancer and Black Cow in with the soil we planted it in. The tree bore about 24-36 delicious figs and now its leaves are yellowing. We have been suffering drought conditions most of the summer but we've been diligently watering it every day for about 2-3 minutes each day.

Your advise to another was to prune in July and that fruit comes from last year's wood. If pruning is done in July, it sounds like there won't be much fruit next season. Is that true?

Also, you said that yellowing leaves indicate a thirsty tree. How much watering is enough and not too much?

Thanks.

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Answer No, don't prune in July. After the last frost is the best time. This will encourage fresh, new growth, that will produce new fruit. I warned not to over prune. Just lightly, to clean out old growth, and dead wood, and to encourage the tree to be more compact in shape.

Yellow leaves usually means too little water, and temperatures that are too hot. Perhaps you will need to water more deeply, to reach the lower roots. These roots may be dry, and the leaves they support are the ones that are yellow. It can also signal the coming of fall, if the night temperatures have suddenly fallen.

5 I am not sure what the nutrient content of the soil enhancer is, but be careful to not put too much nitrogen in the soil. The Black Cow is likely high in nitrogen.

The following is from the North Carolina County extension. There is a great deal of information that is directed to your area. It should answer many of your questions, and help you to take care of your tree.

Fig Culture in North Carolina Home > County Departments > Cooperative Extension > Home and Gardening The fig is native to the . You may already be familiar with some members of the fig family, such as the ornamental rubber tree, the mulberry, and the Osage orange or hedge apple. Figs are grown over much of the eastern North Carolina and westward into the Piedmont. If your soil is well-drained and reasonably fertile, you most likely will have success growing figs in North Carolina.

Cold weather and nematodes are two limiting factors affecting fig culture in this state. You cannot do much about the weather, but you can control nematodes.

Suggested Varieties Celeste is a fairly hardy variety. Its fruit is small and violet or light brown. The pulp is a light strawberry pink. The fruit is good fresh or when used in canning or making preserves. Celeste will begin to ripen its fruit in mid-July.

Brown Turkey is also sold as Texas Everbearing and Harrison. It is not to be confused with the Brown Turkey variety of California. Its fruit is medium to large with a light coppery brown skin and amber pulp. It produces a light crop of large fruit 2 weeks earlier than Celeste and a heavy crop of medium-sized fruit 2 to 3 weeks after Celeste. The fruit has good quality for fresh use and is excellent for preserves. Brown Turkey adapts well to being grown in containers.

Brunswick or Magnolia has a large, hollow fruit that is light brown with darker ribs and practically no stem. The pulp is amber. It is recommended for preserves only. Brunswick appears to be more cold hardy than Brown Turkey or Celeste; however, it does not grow vigorously.

Both Brown Turkey and Brunswick produce fair-to-good crops on suckers produced the season following freeze or cold injury.

Soil and Site Selection Figs grow well on a wide range of soils if the soil is well-drained and reasonably fertile. They also prefer a loamy soil that has plenty or organic matter and moisture available during the growing season. A soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5 is optimum.

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Plant your fig tree where it is protected from both the winter sun and cold winter winds. Unseasonably warn temperatures during the winter may cause growth. If growth begins and a sudden freeze occurs, the plant may be seriously damaged. For this reason, figs planted on northern exposures have a better chance of remaining dormant and escaping sudden freezes, especially in the Piedmont.

Planting Dormant, bare-rooted, nursery-grown plants can be set anytime between late fall and early spring. It is best to set them out in the spring when the danger of severe winter temperatures is over. But container-grown plants should be planted just in the spring. Start with plants that are free of -knot nematode . Figs trained as trees should be spaced 15 to 20 feet apart; those grown as bushes require a 10-foot spacing. For optimum growth, give fig plants full sunlight and adequate room to grow. Avoid competition from neighboring trees and .

Trees. Plant a fig tree 1 to 2 inches deeper than it was in the nursery. After it is set, firm the soil, water lightly, and cut the main stem to 3 feet. If the tree is container- grown, it is not necessary to prune it after planting.

Bushes. Set fig bushes 4 inches deeper than in the nursery to encourage branching from beneath the soil surface.

Cultivation Figs have a shallow root system and should not be cultivated. Just mulch with leaves, pine straw, or other material to conserve moisture and keep weeds under control.

Fertilization For best results, apply 1 pound of an 8-8-8 fertilizer for each year of age until a maximum of 12 pounds of fertilizer per plant is reached; then maintain this rate each year. (If the age is unknown, a rule of thumb is to apply 1 pound of fertilizer per year for each foot of height.) Apply the fertilizer as follows: on heavy soils, when the swell; on sandy soils, one-half the amount as buds swell and the other half in late May. Put the fertilizer over mulch in a circle starting from the ends of the branches and working toward the trunk in a one-foot band.

If the fig plant produces more than 1 to 2 feet of new growth per year, reduce or eliminate nitrogen fertilization. The amount of fertilizer need depends on the soil's fertility. Overfertilizing with nitrogen promotes succulent growth late in the growing season, a condition or problem that makes plants susceptible to winter injury. Excessive nitrogen also results in light fruiting, fruit splitting, and souring.

7 Pruning Figs require very little pruning. Prune in late winter, just before growth begins. Make smooth clean cuts, close to the lateral branch, and do not leave any stubs. Prune to control the fig tree's height by opening the bush, removing dead wood and suckers from the trunk and main branches. This pruning method produces easier picking, larger fruit, and better control of the tree's vigor. Prune sufficiently to stimulate about a foot of new growth each year on most branches.

Harvesting and Handling Figs grown in North Carolina are highly perishable and ferment under ordinary conditions shortly after being picked. You must use the fruit as it ripens, especially in damp weather. The fruit cannot be sundried because of the high humidity in North Carolina.

Fresh figs are not tasty until soft and ripe. Therefore pick them just as the fruit begins to soften. Ripe figs can be stored for a short time at cool temperatures (about 40 degrees F.) to retard spoilage and souring.

For preserving, figs may be picked a few days before they are fully ripe. The fruit will hold together better once cooked, a step that reduces the chance for spoilage or souring.

If your skin is sensitive to the fig's milky latex, wear gloves during harvest.

Winter Injury Protection Fig plants are not completely cold hardy in North Carolina. During severe low temperatures (20 degrees F or less), they may freeze back to the ground. When severe weather is predicted, you can protect plants by covering them with straw, a tarpaulin, cornstalks, or other suitable material. The plants will recover from above ground injury, but fruiting will be delayed until new growth is forced out.

Young bushes or trees are particularly susceptible to winter injury. In late fall, protect the trunk by piling loose soil or mulch 1 to 2 feet high around the base of the trunk. Remove the soil in the spring when frost is no longer a hazard.

Propagation New fig plants can be started from cuttings or by simple layering. You can make cuttings 8 to 10 inches long from well-matured wood of the previous season's growth and store them in a cool, dry place until the following spring. In the spring, set the cuttings vertically, 8 to 10 inches deep. Make sure that at least one on each cutting is above soil level (top part of cutting up). Let the new plants grow one year and then transplant them to a permanent location.

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To propagate the fig by layering, bend a sprout or sucker down and bury it in trench about 6 inches deep. Leave the tip uncovered. Remove leaves before covering the shoot or sucker with soil.

Why Figs May Fail to Bear Fruit Frequently, the fig trees will drop their fruit before reaching maturity. If this happens every year and none of the fruit matures, the tree is probably one of the Smyrna varieties.

Smyrna figs require pollination by a special wasp that is not found in North Carolina. The varieties mentioned previously bear fruit without pollination.

If your trees occasionally drop mature fruit, it could be due to excessive nitrogen or shade, winter injury, drought, or poor soil drainage.

Insects and Diseases Figs in home plantings are relatively free from serious disease and insect injury, and thus fungicides and insecticides are usually not necessary. But fig roots are often heavily galled, and the plants become stunted because of attacks by root-knot nematodes.

For more information on controlling root-knot nematodes and other fig diseases, write to

Department of Plant Pathology

N.C. State University

Campus Box 7616

Raleigh, NC 27695

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