The Mysterious Secret

[smoothbores]

.
“The fig fruit is actually a syconium, a fleshy hollow receptacle with multiple ovaries. There are two types of fig trees; male trees (or caprifig trees) and female trees. Caprifig trees have inedible fruit from which pollen is used to pollinate edible figs, hence they are considered to be male trees. Female trees produce edible fruit, although they have both male and female flowers. Important Turkish fig cultivars such as ‘Sarılop’, ‘Bursa Siyahı’, ‘Yeşilgüz’, ‘Morgüz’ and ‘Göklop’ are female trees and require cross-pollination for fruit set, which is carried out by the caprifig wasp named Plastophaga psenes. P. psenes lives in the fruit of caprifig trees. Mature wasps carry pollen with their wings and feet from the male flowers in the caprifig to female fruit through the ostiole hole. The ostiole is the opening of the involuted fig inflorescence through which the fig wasps enter to pollinate. In male trees (caprifig), three different fruit types are formed in three periods that contribute to the life cycle of the wasp.”
http://cakagida.com.tr/what-are-the-benefits-of-dried-figs/

Don't wait for fresh fig season to make jam.
Fig Jam (with dried figs)
Ingredients
1 cup Dried Figs (rinse the dried figs in cold water)
3 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/ 4 tsp anise seed or 1/ 5 ground anise seed
sugar tt
walnuts tt
vanilla tt
pinch of salt
Combined all ingredients and bring it to rapid boil then lower heat and simmer until figs are soft and plump (about 20 minutes).
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
💙🎈Enjoy! 🎈💙

For a sweeter jam add raw honey and for a more jelly-like texture add pectin or agar-agar or mastic. ¼ tsp well-crushed mastic = Arabic gum (found in Greek or Middle Eastern grocery stores) or agar-agar or pectin
Stored in sterilized container for later use.
This is where it gets fun :

 

Comments

[smoothbores]

[colonela]

Wasp: Knock knock
Fig: What do you want
Wasp: I claim this as my babies house
Fig: Fine, okay. Just when you come in leave your wings and antennae outside.
Kwadens get it fig-ured did you get it

[smoothbores]

Eats figs whilst watching this.
Continues to eat figs.

[colonela]

Vegans are shaking.

[smoothbores]

Wasps are fairly clean insects)

[colonela]

The fig is an apartment for wasp, as well as a wasp factory, a store house, a sacrificial chamber, a playground for male wasp, etc, an important thing

[smoothbores]

humans: wasps are useless they don't pollinate
wasps: hold my agressive demeanor

[colonela]

Ahh figs. A true love story of death, adolescent rape, and helping siblings out of a sticky situation.

[smoothbores]

What can I do with this info ? ))

Usually by the time a fig is ripe enough to eat, the enzymes in the fig would've already broken down the wasp anyway.
I been eating home grown figs all my life and never encountered a wasp. (and yes I do inspect the fig prior)

[colonela]

Vegans “Goodbye cruel world"

[smoothbores]

I laughed out loud at "Goodbye, cruel world."
I lived in the Middle East for many years where fig trees are abundant. The figs there have two growing seasons - one before the wasps get to them, and the other, later in the year when the wasps find them. Figs in the later season were always juicier and sweeter)

[colonela]

I didn't know figs were the Game of Thrones of the fruit world.I'm still going to eat them ))

[smoothbores]

Glad you FIGured it out))

[colonela]

I hope to See you soon.

[colonela]

You have such a great sense of humor.

[smoothbores]

Watch out for figs)

[colonela]

Well, really - who can resist ? ))

[bambr1]

Thanks God, I'm not vegan.

[smoothbores]

[smoothbores]

“By the fig and the olive, And [by] Mount Sinai, And [by] this secure city [Makkah], We have certainly created man in the best of stature.” (Quran, 95:1-4)

[smoothbores]

Figs were also mentioned in a hadith, or quote, by Prophet Muhammad, where he described it as a fruit that has been sent down from heaven.

[smoothbores]

Due to its many benefits, figs can be consumed fresh or as dried fruits, providing a great energy source.