Fig
* Helps to stabilize blood sugar, which keeps energy levels high.
* Most figs consumed in the United States still come from California
  - have seeds
* Some figs arise from horizontal rhizomes
* Some figs have aggressive growth habits
  * The fruits can be eaten when ripe and when dried. Figs grow in warm climates. Sometimes, figs are made into jam. Figs are also in a popular snack
* also destroy roundworms.
* are a compact energy food jam-packed with minerals
  - fragile fruit
  - synconium, a type of fruit that has a hollow receptacle lined with imperfect flowers
  - able to conserve water, despite their big leaves
  - adaptable to varied soils
* are also a natural source of seratonin, which stimulates the pineal gland
  - high in fiber, both soluble and insoluble
  - shallow rooted and easily stressed which can hinder ripening
  - demulcent as well as nutritive
  - dry when they feel leathery and show no pockets of moisture
  - extremely shallow rooted and consequently very susceptible to stress
  - good sources for calcium, iron and fiber
  - groups of classes designed to allow freshmen to explore various majors
  - high in dietary fiber and are a rich source of magnesium and potassium
  - highly alkaline and can help to soothe withdrawal and cravings
  - keystone species in many rainforest ecosystems
  - medium in size, yellow when mature, with a strawberry colored pulp
  - more likely to suffer toxicities from sodium, boron, or chloride
  - most flavorful at room temperature
  - mostly tropical plants, naturally growing wild in south-east Asian jungles
  - naturally sweet, rich in texture, but fat free
* are one of the few fruits rich in calcium
  - highest plant sources of calcium and fiber
  - most important plant species of a rainforest ecosystem
* are pollinated by fig wasps
  - specialist wasps
  - relatively salt-tolerant and can be grown along the coast near brackish water
  - rich in iron, calcium and potassium
  - ripe when they turn from green to brown
  - sodium-free
  - special because many of the species produce two crops per year
  - sweet, flavorful, and easy to eat and use
* are the only fruit to fully ripen and semi-dry on the tree
  - original organic food with a minimum of natural enemies
  - unusual in that they bear their flowers on the inside of the fruit
  - very susceptible to nematodes
* bespeak Meditteranean climes and, with proper pruning, bear two crops a year.
* can act as a sweetener in a variety of preparations
  - also drop their leaves during periods of extreme stress
* come from bushes.
* form an important item in the diet.
* grow extremely well along the Texas Gulf Coast
* have a long history in the Southeast
  - very unusual flowering system
  - complicated inflorescences called syconia
  - nutrients especially important for today's busy lifestyles
  - special inflorence called 'syconium' within which it houses flowers
  - the highest overall mineral content of all common fruits
* includes peels
  - sections
* is an illustration
* never grow on thorn bushes or grapes on bramble bushes.
* often form before the leaves appear
  - have a problem with fruit dropping before it reaches maturity
* propagate easily from cuttings.
* provide a nursery for fig wasps and fig wasps pollinate figs for reproduction
  - more fiber than any other common fruit or vegetable
* require full sun all day to ripen palatable fruits.
* require little or no pruning, since pruning often reduces fruit production
  - to no fertilization
* thrive in the Valley s hot, dry summer sun.

### fig:

Edible fig
* bear two crops a year called the breba and main crop.
* come from a different species.

Fresh fig
* are fat, juicy and packed with tiny edible seeds
  - good for destroying intestinal parasites
* can be round, flat, oval, or elongated, with a white, green, purple, or black skin.
* have soft flesh with many tiny, edible seeds, and range from purple to green.