wild green figs

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gavilan
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wild green figs

Postby gavilan » Thu Jun 22, 2017 1:34 pm

along the stream banks near my place are at least 4 large fig trees ... presently laden with green figs ... they stay green, never change colour ... they must be a different variety to the trees whose figs ripen to that wonderful purple colour ... as local people never seem to pick/eat those green figs, I had assumed they must be inedible but, looking on the internet, there are plenty of comments/recipes about such figs ...... .... ?those of you who live in other places, do your local Spanish pick/eat these figs? ... and if not, do you know why not? I must also remember to ask my Spanish neighbours ...

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Re: wild green figs

Postby El Cid » Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:14 pm

We have a green fig tree. They are smaller fruit than the black figs but I prefer the flavour. I have seen green figs for sale in the supermarkets.

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Re: wild green figs

Postby Gasman » Thu Jun 22, 2017 6:55 pm

Seems to me you should pick a juicy looking one, open it up and see if it is ripe with sugar oozing, and try a nibble.
Certainly the ones in the supermarkets that are green ARE ripe and ready for eating, and all the tinned figs I have seen have been green. (mi dad used to love 'em with cream!)
I suspect your title is a mis-nomer and in fact they are not WILD figs, which I have always seen as smaller, black ones, and these are escaped cultivated green figs, washed down the river, or even planted there once upon a time. All our trees have black fruit so I cannot help with direct info, some being bigger than others and the neighbours denigrate our little fig-roll-tasting ones as WILD figs.

gavilan
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Re: wild green figs

Postby gavilan » Thu Jun 22, 2017 9:29 pm

Sid and Gasman thanks for your responses ... I dont recall seeing green figs in shops around here ... but maybe I wasnt looking properly ... also will have to 'bite the bullet' and pick/eat one from the 'wild' trees around the stream to see what they are really like .. and ask neighbours why they dont pick them ...

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chrissiehope
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Re: wild green figs

Postby chrissiehope » Thu Jun 22, 2017 10:40 pm

We had a tree opposite the casa - someone used to come in their car, armed with a long-handled fruit picker with collecting bag, and take bagfuls away ! We used to watch them from behind a window - for some reason we thought they might be from UK, can't remember why..

Our builder loved them and used to take a bagful home with him - we tried them & they tasted OK, but getting the skin & pith off is a very messy business leaving you with sticky hands ! Maybe we should have cut them open & used a spoon ;-)
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Wicksey
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Re: wild green figs

Postby Wicksey » Fri Jun 23, 2017 10:26 am

We have a fig tree that produces two crops each year but they never ripen. I'm not sure if I came to the conclusion it was a male, or something similar, but it is very disappointing as we love figs. The first crop fall off green and the second crop does darken to a purple colour but they are always dry and inedible. It's always been like that and it is irrigated (although not sure why we are now wasting water on it) but it never ever has produced any ripe juicy fruit.

A friend has a golden fig that produces one crop of yellow, honey-flavoured fruit in August. If we remember to go to the house, we can get some of those :)

gavilan
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Re: wild green figs

Postby gavilan » Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:01 am

now I know why no-one bothers with those wild green figs around the stream ... I picked some yesterday ... flesh thin and white with lots of dry brown seeds dominaring the fruit ... yuk!

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Wicksey
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Re: wild green figs

Postby Wicksey » Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:13 am

Gavilan they sound just like ours :(

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Enrique
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Re: wild green figs

Postby Enrique » Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:23 am

Hi,
Have you gone back end July into August for the second batch of figs.......?

We have three green fig trees........the second batch ripens to a beige colour , sweet and juicy .
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Re: wild green figs

Postby Gasman » Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:25 am

Ha Ha - well at least, now you know! :oops: :thumbdown:
I agree with Enrique though - you may find that the second crop turns out better. :thumbup: :wave:

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Re: wild green figs

Postby Gasman » Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:00 am

If you know a needy donkey, they love figs of all sorts, colours and dimensions!

gavilan
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Re: wild green figs

Postby gavilan » Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:50 am

Enrique ...I shall investigate those figs again late July/August as you suggest ... meanwhile Wicksey might find Gasman's suggestion useful?!

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Wicksey
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Re: wild green figs

Postby Wicksey » Mon Jun 26, 2017 2:30 pm

Nope, second crop is just as inedible as first, just a different colour! Completely dry seeds inside .... been like that for the 6 years we've been here .... so disappointing :(

Mariacristina
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Re: wild green figs

Postby Mariacristina » Mon Jun 26, 2017 6:12 pm

A rather late response . . . haven't had an opportunity to catch up with A.com for a while.

The figs available now are called Higos Brevas and are mostly green but a few purple ones about. There are some on sale in the supermarkets but no one in this village would dream of paying for them! Plenty in the campo!

Maybe we are lucky here but I've been given a lot, all big and juicy and luscious . . . and no messing about peeling them . . . just a good wash.

The figs that ripen early autumn are just called Higos and also come in green and purple varieties. Equally juicy and luscious. I put a few into jars each year and fill the jars up with Spanish brandy . . . Vega Cadur from Lidl is warm, woody, inexpensive and does the job beautifully. Serve at Christmas with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

There is one fig tree on the track down to the river that only produces the small green tough fruits . . . leave them to the birds and look out for some of the really nice ones to steal . . . oops! sorry! . . .I meant pick.

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Re: wild green figs

Postby gretch » Wed Jun 28, 2017 9:44 am

We get green figs, and eat them. When they look big & juicy, take them from the tree, squeeze at the ‘stalk end’ so that the ‘bottom end’ splits & opens up. First make sure that a small insect hasn’t burrowed into the base (easy to see if it has), then just eat the contents of the fig, but don’t bother too much with the skin.
There’s always a bit of trial & error until you get it right......

Good luck
Gretch


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