Time to talk of other things ...

The Macabre World of Figs and   Parasitic Pollinating Wasps Credit: Bon Appetit (no pun intended!) The lifecycle of the fig wasp reads like a macabre horror tale, yet it is often cited as a premier example of mutualism (the scientific name for plants that trade insect development for seed production). BBC Video by David Attenborough (not for the faint-hearted) Sometime back, I came across the intriguing snippet from the second episode of the BBC TV Natural History series Perfect Plant by the eminent British biologist and natural historian, Sir David Frederick Attenborough detailing the unique mutualism of figs and wasps - this prompted me to take a closer look at this unique relationship. Fig trees ( Ficus, Moraceae ) are tropical plants with numerous species around the world - so it might come as a surprise that all fig trees are pollinated by minuscule host-specific parasitic wasps of the family Agaonidae , each uniquely attached to one and only one type of fig, yet so small and i

 Old fashioned Fig Preserve  Shout out to my friend and gardener nonpareil Rajiv who has a Nagronne Fig ( Ficus carica 'Negronne' ) tree that had a bountiful harvest.  Unsurprisingly fig recipes were the highlight this summer, allowing us to relive many favourite recipes we first encountered in the late 80s when we lived on the Island of Cyprus. This old fashioned fig preserve containing chunks of tree-ripened Nagronne figs.  Figs have a natural, honey-like sweetness, so lemon adds a nice bit of acidity and brightness.  Truly a h eavenly treat, no fig-ure of speech!! Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious. ~ Ruth Reichl This fig preserve is very versatile - limited only by your imagination. I found this blog that lists 15 ways to use fig preserves.  Ingredients: 3 pounds tree ripened figs (approximately 9 cups) 3 pounds sugar (approximately 6 and 1/2 cups) 2 lemons, sliced, remove seeds Method: 1. Wash the tree ripened figs in cold water,

  Greek Style Figs baked in Honeyed Wine Mama, I just died and went to Heaven … fig-uratively speaking that is. Fresh figs baked in honeyed wine laced with cinnamon, orange extract and vanilla essence over Greek yogurt. In the late 1980s, I had the distinct pleasure of living for nearly four years on the sun-drenched island of Cyprus. There is an abundance of Grape vines, Citrus and Fig trees, so it's only natural that this recipe combines all of this to make what is truly the proverbial Food for the Gods , when served on Greek Yoghurt. All people with healthy physical appetites have a sweet tooth somewhere in their head. ~ Macmillan's Magazine Ingredients: 16 small or 8 large, fresh figs 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp honey 2 cups sweet Muscat or Moscato sparkling white wine 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tablespoons fresh orange juice or lemon juice  1 1/2 tsp orange or lemon zest Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a baking dish with olive oil.  I