Figs are, technically speaking, inverted flowers. That’s why they don’t grow on trees that flower like apple or cherry trees.
Figs belong to the Moraceae family of flowering plants and are the fruit of the Ficus carica. The plant and its fruit originate from western Asia and the Mediterranean regions.
Today, figs are cultivated and consumed all around the world. They are also grown as ornamental plants.
Below, we discuss the question of whether or not figs continue to ripen after being picked.
Do Figs Ripen After Being Picked?
Figs, like many a tasty fruit, do not continue to ripen after being picked. Even more, unripe figs taste terrible. That means it is best to allow them to ripen fully before you pick them. You don’t want to miss out on the delicious sweet flavour of fresh ripe figs!
How Do You Ripen a Fig?
Figs that are almost ripe when you pick them may react well to the brown paper bag treatment. Place the figs into the bag, with a banana or two, fold the top over, and set the bag onto the kitchen counter for a few days. Check-in daily because the ethylene from the other fruit in the bag should cause ripening to start occurring right away.
How to Tell if a Fig is Ripe?
Fig farmers say that If a fig is perpendicular to the tree, it isn’t ripe yet. That said, if a fig looks ripe by color, is soft to the touch when you squeeze it gently, it is probably ripe (regardless of what direction it is pointing in). If the fruit is showing any green on its exterior, it is not ripe yet and will require more time before picking.
Can You Eat Figs Off the Tree?
Fresh figs are best eaten directly off the tree, especially if they’ve been warming in the sun all day. You can eat the entire fruit, which is filled with reddish-purple flesh on the inside. You can even eat the seeds and peel. Of course, washing them doesn’t hurt before you start chowing down!
Are There Wasps in Ripe Figs?
As inverted flowers, figs do actually have a female wasp inside (dead, of course). However, by the time the fig is ripe, and you are eating it, the wasp has been digested by the fruit. In other words, the flesh of the fruit contains particles of the wasp (but not crunchy ones). The crunchy stuff inside isn’t wasp parts though, those are just the many seeds the fruit contains.
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
