{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Fig Culture: Helping You Grow a Fig Tree in a Cold Climate","title":"The Fig Tree Beyond the Fruit","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1555,"description":"Most fig growers are focused on the fruit. Fair enough. \nBut in this episode, we look at the rest of the fig tree: the leaves, sap, dried leaves, infused vinegars, tinctures, pantry blends, and even prunings.\nSteven talks with Penelope Beaudrow, a registered herbalist at Richters Herbs, about figs from an herbalist’s point of view. They talk about fig leaf tea, the coconut-vanilla-green flavour of fig leaves, traditional uses of fig sap, figs as a fibre-rich food, and ways to dry and preserve fig leaves for later use.\nFor cold-climate fig growers, there’s also a useful shift in perspective: even if a fig dies back in winter, it can still be valuable as a leaf crop. Not every fig-growing story needs to end with a basket of ripe figs. Sometimes the leaves are the harvest. \nIn this episode:\nFig leaf tea and what it tastes like\nHow herbalists think about leaves, tinctures, and vinegars\nUsing fig leaves in the kitchen\nDrying fig leaves for winter\nFig leaf salts, sugars, and spice blends\nTraditional uses of fig sap and why caution matters\nFresh and dried figs as food\nThinking of figs as a cold-climate leaf crop\nA short visit to the fig benches at Richters Herbs\n\nFig sap can irritate the skin in some people. And before using figs, fig leaves, or any plant medicinally, it’s always wise to consult a qualified health professional. ","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/zv-BkEM5v2vKH2HknUjHcHyR5v7YVrM3AV6HEC3MLPY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80NTEx/MzQzNGJjNGM0MTQ3/NjEwM2I1NDYwZDYy/NDFjMC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}