The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of
Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall.
See the book and Fig Camp options.---
Most fig growers are focused on the fruit. Fair enough.
But 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.
Steven 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.
For 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.
In this episode:
- Fig leaf tea and what it tastes like
- How herbalists think about leaves, tinctures, and vinegars
- Using fig leaves in the kitchen
- Drying fig leaves for winter
- Fig leaf salts, sugars, and spice blends
- Traditional uses of fig sap and why caution matters
- Fresh and dried figs as food
- Thinking of figs as a cold-climate leaf crop
- A short visit to the fig benches at Richters Herbs
Fig 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.
What is Fig Culture: Helping You Grow a Fig Tree in a Cold Climate?
Want to grow figs but live somewhere with cold winters? Our passion is growing figs in cold climates.
We help cold-climate fig lovers grow a fig tree in a pot, grow figs in the ground, and, most importantly, conquer winter.
There are many ways of growing figs in cold climates. Find out how you can successfully grow figs in your garden. Learn about fig-tree care. And get creative ideas for winter protection.
Host Steven Biggs is a cold-climate fig expert, horticulturist, and the author of the award-winning book Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t, the first book specifically about cold-climate fig culture. As a horticultural journalist, he interviews other fig experts, and writes about cold-climate fig culture for magazines and for his own blog at FoodGardenLife.com. His fig fetish began in 1993, when he spent a summer at the nursery with the UK National Collection of figs. He hasn’t looked back.