The fig tree was in the back yard when my parents bought this house. My father was very happy and he took good care of the fig tree. Pruning and picking and sharing the figs with friends and neighbors. My dad was like that. I remember that in the winter he would wrap the trunk in a blanket and covered it with tarp, I never bothered to ask why? Then my dad got real sick and he passed away October 1991. That winter there was no blanket around the trunk. Never again a blanket or tarp. We forgot about the fig tree.
To our surprise, the tree produced figs in the summer, there were a few summers when we thought the tree was done for. But somehow it repaired itself and still today keeps on giving us fruit. Now my mom shares the figs with friends and family. My mom is like that.
The good news about figs, they are very high in calcium (may help prevent the bone loss associated with aging) and you can eat the peel, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. They are also high in fiber (may reduce the risk of colon, breast and prostate cancer) . Slice fresh unpeeled ripe figs and serve with cheese. You can cook with them too (try with pork chops) or do what I do -cut them up and toss toss in a salad 🙂