Fig Trees are Awesome
In our mediterranean food forest, in Tenerife (Canary Islands) we grow many different fig trees.
When we bought the place, there was already an old, huge fig tree in the south, west corner of the property. The locals say our tree is hundreds of years old. It is producing abundance of fruits twice a year.
But over the year we added 10 more fig trees of different varieties for their drought tolerance, their beauty, and of course, their abundance of delicious fruits.
We love eating figs and in fig season – we have figs in everything… and if there’s still left over after eating and giving to neighbours and friends – we dry them.
But… did you know that…
You Can Actually Use the Fig Leaves Too…
Fig leaves are edible, tasty, nutritious and medicinal.
Nutritious
Fig leaves are a good source of vitamin A, B1, and B2.
They also contain calcium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, sodium, and potassium.
Tasty
Fig leaves add a lovely coconut, walnut, vanilla flavor to food.
Medicinal
Fig leaves considered anti-diabetic.
Using them can lower the amount of insulin required by the body.Fig leaves also have been shown to lower the body’s triglyceride levels, lowering the risk for obesity and heart disease
Fig leaves are also used in a variety of other home remedies for cardiovascular problems, bronchitis and ulcers.
How to Use Fig Leaves
- For cooking, we mainly steam, bake, or grill the fresh young leaves.
- Fig leaves work well with coconut milk, scallions, rice, tofu, chicken, fish, fish sauce, red curry paste, red chile peppers, apricots, basil and pumpkin seeds,.
- Fig leaf tea
Dried fig leaves can be used as a tea just as you normally brew tea leaves.
You can also use the fresh leaves. Boil them up for 15 minutes and strain. - Use fig leaf as a wrap
The leaves add a great mediterranean flavor to food when wrapped and steamed.
Fig leaves can be used to wrap rice, meat, vegetables, or seafood. - Cook a vegetable curry with fig leaves
Remove the leaves before serving. They add a lovely mediterranean flavor. - Add fig leaves to slow stews or soups as a spinach alternative
(make sure to cook the leaves for 20 minutes). - You can also use fig leaves to make a syrup for glazing meats, flavor cocktails, or make jelly.
I’d love to learn from you…
Please share in the comment box below what do you know about using fig leaves, or what other leaves you would like to learn to use.
Thanks for that great info.
I love figs but had no idea the leaves are so useful!
You are doing an amazing job, keep it up!