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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2011 23:00:13 GMT -5
I really liked figs from the store, fresh or dried. Can't eat just one.
But, I'm reading that the milky sap is an irritant.
The locals don't seem to want this fruit,and they don't know much about it.
My neighbor gave me all I could pick, tonight. A local orchard owner, and his neighbor are offering me all I can pick.
But, every time I take one, no matter how ripe it seems to be, that white sap comes out of the stem. I have a small stewpot, full of these, all with a little bit of sap, coming out.
Should these be considered safe to use?
Thanks for reading.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 27, 2011 23:36:22 GMT -5
White sap coming out of the stem of figs is common, even when they are mature and ready for eating. If you are allergic to latex, you might consider wearing gloves when harvesting or handling figs. You might also consider cutting the stem off after harvest along with that bit of fig closest to where the stem attaches. (Much like discarding about 3/4 inch of cucumber where it attaches to the stem.)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 15:10:19 GMT -5
Thanks for clearing that up.
Yes, I had already been doing this, because they're a little tough.
I have tried to limit my exposure to the sap, just as a precaution. Is this caustic for everybody, or just for people who have an allergy?
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 28, 2011 15:18:19 GMT -5
Some people are very sensitive to latex. Other people have very little sensitivity.
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Post by cortona on Aug 28, 2011 15:36:37 GMT -5
i have some fig plants sparse on my propriety and i'm the type of person with almost no sensibility to the sap...i love figs marmalade ....and i'm ready to do it in the next weeks as figs matures...i know no person here with sensibility problem to figs.hope to plant more and more plants of different varieties to enlarge the harvesting period
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Post by grunt on Aug 28, 2011 15:37:04 GMT -5
It's caustic for everyone until the figs are truly ripe. My Portuguese mother in law could never wait until they were truly ripe, so she always had burn marks around her mouth when the figs were ripening.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 16:49:46 GMT -5
As the figs toward the top of my stewpot are firmer, I believe the ripening process may have completed, before I could even get them all picked, being that its so hot, right now.
I'm going to eat the soft ones, from the bottom, then take the firm ones out of the fridge.
I keep watching for pruning and putting cuttings in moist planters.Tender pieces have rooted quickly, but woody growth has only sprouted from the bottom.
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Post by castanea on Aug 28, 2011 17:34:36 GMT -5
The riper they are, the less latex, although this does vary somewhat with different varieties. A fully ripe fig has little or no latex. I have been eating lots of them this weekend and have some tenderness around my lips. Latex is mildly toxic to everyone, but seriously toxic to one in a million or even less.
Most of the latex is in the stem that attaches the fig to the tree so if you cut that off you get rid of most of the latex (unless the fig is really unripe).
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 23:38:21 GMT -5
Yes. A coldsore kind of feeling, where there is no coldsore. Tongue felt mildly scalded, though no hot food burned me. Irritation subsided in 2-3 hours. Tonsils were swollen and nose runny. This may not have even been noticable, had my mouth not been dry. No effects on tough skin. In my case, this was not like a serious, allergic reaction.
A local farmer wanted me to put these in his fruit stand, but didn't know about this. Word to the wise.
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Post by castanea on Aug 29, 2011 0:16:21 GMT -5
Yes. A coldsore kind of feeling, where there is no coldsore. Tongue felt mildly scalded, though no hot food burned me. Irritation subsided in 2-3 hours. Tonsils were swollen and nose runny. This may not have even been noticable, had my mouth not been dry. No effects on tough skin. In my case, this was not like a serious, allergic reaction. A local farmer wanted me to put these in his fruit stand, but didn't know about this. Word to the wise. I think most people who eat figs are very familiar with this. It really should not be an issue if the figs are ripe. |
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Post by peppereater on Sept 9, 2011 22:15:48 GMT -5
How odd, I had noticed the latex but never gave it any thought. I've never eaten more than a few figs at a time, and never had any reaction. I sometimes eat a few at a firm stage which I considered ripe, and others which were soft and very ripe, I find the flavor and texture different but agreeable either way, almost like having 2 varieties, or like green vs. over-ripe bananas. I've pruned and thinned figs for clients on numerous occasions and never had a reaction, nor have I had reactions from pruning or handling the wood of mulberries, which are heavy latex producers. Although, it's possible I had a mild reaction to mulberry but was not really bothered by it so just not remembering it. I must have very little sensitivity to it. The sap will leave sticky latex on your skin that's hard to scrub off, and can ruin a pair of gloves.
I have rooted cuttings from figs at about pencil size during bud swell in the spring and all buds opened, the roots were slower to develop, for me, perhaps becasue I just stuck them in a vase of water. Unfortunately, I never had a cutting grow out for very long in soil, but I blame that on poor soil and over or underwatering, or using too large of portions for rooting, whatever, I blame myself. They did respond well to rooting in water though.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2011 16:54:35 GMT -5
I had a high success rate, using wet dirt in tree pots. They're massive enough, not to dry out, but they will drain through holes in the bottom.
Watered once daily with a garden hose. South facing patio, under shade cloth.
One source of cuttings was identified as Brown Turkey Fig. The other, I am unfamiliar with. Purple skin, beige flesh, red around the seeds. Flavor reminded me of strawberry guava.
2 foot long, succulent stems died to the ground and sent up new growth from the bottom.
2 inch suckers with a tiny leaf attached grew to 3 feet this year.
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