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Fresh figs used in cooking should be plump and soft, and without bruising or splits. If they smell sour, the figs have become over-ripe. Slightly under-ripe figs can be kept at room temperature for 1–2 days to ripen before serving. Figs are most flavorful at room temperature. [42]
Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable. In general, fruit becomes sweeter , less green, and softer as it ripens. Even though the acidity of fruit increases as it ripens, the higher acidity level does not make the fruit seem tarter.
Contrary to popular belief, ripe figs are not full of dead wasps and the "crunchy bits" in the fruit are only seeds. The fig actually produces an enzyme called ficain (also known as ficin) which digests the dead wasps and the fig absorbs the nutrients to create the ripe fruits and seeds. [ 8 ]
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Figs also need a lot of elbow room to grow and should be planted 15 to 25 feet apart. Petite varieties only reach six to eight feet, but the Chicago hardy fig, for example, can grow up to 30 feet ...
Generally, fleshy fruits can be divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of a respiratory increase at the onset of ripening. This respiratory increase—which is preceded, or accompanied, by a rise in ethylene—is called a climacteric, and there are marked differences in the development of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits. [1]
The newly emerged female wasps actively pack their bodies with pollen from the male flowers before leaving through the exit holes the males have cut and fly off to find a syconium in which to lay their eggs. Over the next one to five days, figs ripen. [20] The ripe figs are eaten by various mammals and birds which disperse the seeds.
After pollination, figs ripen quickly. The growth rate of figs is slower during the cold dry months in comparison to hot and rainy months were fruit growth is concentrated. [ 4 ] Fruit bearing figs are heavily laden; a single tree may produce up to 1,000,000 fruits with a diameter of 1–2.5 cm.