How to Get Food From a Wild Fig Tree
Most people have heard of the fig tree, even if they haven't seen one--or ever tasted a fig, for that matter. This is probably due to the fact that this large and beautiful tree is often mentioned in the Bible (indeed, it is used by Jesus Christ in several parables), in addition to playing a part in the religious histories of many of the world's major religions, from Judaism (fig trees are mentioned in the Torah) to Buddhism (Siddartha Gautama gained Enlightenment underneath a fig tree). But do you know how to identify one? To harvest its fruit? To eat it?
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Instructions
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Learn how to identify a wild fig tree. The truth is, there are hundreds of varying types of fig trees. These plants are typically large trees, growing up to 50 feet in height or more, with large, thick trunks and dark, shiny green leaves. The wild fig tree produces a fruit--the fig--that varies in size from species to species but usually comes about the size of a marble and ranges from yellowish-brown to purple to white in color.
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Locate a wild fig tree. They are found throughout the tropics and subtropics. Look for wild fig trees in forested regions, both within and along the fringes of the trees, as well as near and around sites of human habitation.
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Harvest (pick) the wild fig tree's fruit. Again, these are about the size of a marble, though they can be quite a bit bigger and sometimes smaller.
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Rinse the figs off with fresh water.
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Eat some of the figs raw.
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Boil the rest of the figs for several minutes, then eat.
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Tips & Warnings
If you aren't sure that you are eating from a wild fig tree, don't eat it at all. You don't want to accidentally ingest something poisonous or otherwise harmful to your health.
- Photo Credit Photo by Sanja Gjenero.
