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Brazilian Fig season starting again!

Figs_Garden-Collage_elmowski_banner-800x450.jpg06 Nov

Starting next week, we will be having our first arrivals of fresh figs coming in from Brazil!

Facts & benefits of the fig

A hundred million years ago, wild fig trees grew in Africa and in Asia around the Mediterranean sea. Figs were also known in the roman empire, where they were brought to Europe and England. Eventually they were brought by Spanish settlers, to be planted and farmed in north America in 1500. In the meanwhile they are being cultivated in multiple places all over the world.

Figs contain multiple benefits. Not only are they full of calcium, potassium and fiber; they also contain healing powers!. With tests we discovered that compounds that were found in the fig leaves and bark are effective against bacteria, parasites and tumors.

The ways of preparing those tasty sweet fruits are endless. Whenever you want to eat them fresh or dried. In that case you can keep them all winter long. It’s even possible to eat the leaves of the tree as well.

One funny, maybe a bit scary, fact about fig trees is that they reproduce themselves because of tiny wasps that get inside the fruit to get the pollen. Luckily there is another way for us to reproduce figs, simply by planting tiny branches from the fig tree itself. In that way, we don’t have to be scared to accidently eat a tiny wasp as well.

It lasted a long time until people discovered that each ficus species has its own wasp pollinator. To ensure for their pollinator wasps to survive, fig trees must produce figs year-round. That makes fig trees the biggest sustainer of wildlife compared to other fruits.

For more info contact us or download our figs catalogue here!

 

A little quick and tasty recipe: Roasted figs with hazelnuts

  • Heat the oven to 180 degrees.
  • Take the juice & zest of 1 orange and add 1 glass of prosecco, 1 cinnamon stick, and 20 g of flower honey.
  • Simmer and cool.
  • Halve 8 purple figs and put some of the mixture on the cut parts. Put them in a baking tray to roast for 25 minutes.
  • Let them rest for another 25 minutes.
  • Finally add some crushed hazelnuts and a sprinkle of icing sugar.
  • Put under a very hot grill until bubbling and toasted.
  • Serve it hot with some ice cream. You can add a few thyme leaves and a piece of split vanilla pod.

Enjoy!

 

FLAMINGO-finalfIgor the Flamingo, representing our exotics of the Belleza brand!

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