Crop of the Week: Figs
• Figs are a relatively minor crop in Yuma County with less than 10 total acres.
• This ancient fruit belongs to the genus ficus and is found in a family of plants that includes the mulberry. Today, there are many varieties of the fig.
• Figs are one of the earliest fruits known to be cultivated. They can be traced back to the region between Asia Minor and India where figs are still grown in substantial quantities. In the U.S., Southern California is a large producer and shipper all over North America. The oldest known living fig tree can be found in present day Lima, Peru. It has been dated as far back as 1538.
• The old trade caravan routes spread figs far and wide, although possibly not as far and wide as the bird population of the world.
• Fig trees have no blossoms on their branches and when blossoms are present, they are actually located on the inside of the fruit. Many tiny flowers produce the crunchy little seeds that give figs their unique texture.
• The fig newton was created in 1891 by Charles M. Roser, a cookie maker in Kenton, Ohio. Roser won fame for his creation before selling the recipe to the Kennedy Biscuit Works, which later merged with other regional bakeries in 1910 to form the National Biscuit Co. (Nabisco). The cookie was named for the city of Newton, Mass.
• A machine with a funnel inside a funnel invented by James Henry Mitchell in 1891 made possible the mass production of the soft cookie filled with fig jam.
• One of the first commercially baked products in America, the fig newton has become the third most popular cookie in the U.S. with more than 1 billion consumed each year.
• Figs are rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorus and iron.
• Figs can be eaten fresh. Or they can be frozen or made into preserves.
Source: Kurt Nolte is an agriculture agent and Yuma County Cooperative Extension director. He can be reached at knolte@cals.arizona.edu or 726-3904.
