I've decided to name the prolific tree in the video "Jennifer's fig" after my truelove. It has a strawberry jam taste and texture, similar to panache tiger. Actually, I'd liken the flavour to strawberry honey.

There are wild fig trees all over Cyprus, but this is the best one I've tasted. It's tastes better than all the figs in my orchard too. The only one that comes close is an unknown grey-coloured fig I have. There are a lot more wild fig trees I come across everyday, even growing on the side of the motorway, and in cracks in the pavement / walls in town, but the video was already getting too long. Hope you enjoy.

Youtube Link.

Hi eeplox, thanks for posting your video.

Searching for and sampling wild figs in Cyprus is indeed a an adventure! I hope Jennifer appreciates your dedicating this fig to her. I and others (I presume) on the forum would be interested in knowing a little bit of your background (young English chap living in Cyprus).

What caught my eye in your post was your observation of figs growing in cracks in the pavement, walls in town etc. How true that is! 

In my travels to many of the Mediterranean countries, that has been my observation as well. From the stone walls of Provence to the steep craggy ledges of the Amalfi Coast, you see figs growing in the most improbable places.

How do they get there? Birds, I suppose. Which means that some seed grown fig trees can produce beautiful trees and delicious fruit as  you have plainly demonstrated with Jennifer's fig.

The other thing that this teaches us is the fig's tenacity to propagate and survive. To paraphrase Ray Givans, "to grow a new fig plant, pull off a branch and stick it in the ground". 

Frank

Oh the torture of my wanderlust.  I have only been in Ahtens two days total and have spent a week and a half in Egypt.  I want so badly to visit and explore the Mediterranean area!  On so many layers I want to experience it.  Thank you eeplox for the video to fuel my desire to visit the area.  Now if I can only get my wife to agree.

Fig Heaven!
I am curious to know what the tree growing next to Jennifer's fig is too. Permaculture uses nitrogen fixing trees to feed soil life with their roots underground and their leaves and branches as mulch. You should really check the concept out if you have not already, the man who started it all is named Bill Mollison. Here is a video I linked recently from Mr. Mollison's protege Geoff Lawton- Greening the Desert.

Good luck hunting!

hoosierbanana, I do practice permaculture, and my other videos feature some of the nitogen fixing / pest repelling plants I use. I haven't been able to identify that particular bush, but there are nitogen fixing legumes around the tree also (the dried up spiny shrubs).

There are also 2 young Terebinth trees growing with the fig tree. Terebinth is in the pistachio and mango family, so I don't think it's nitrogen fixing, but figs don't have much of a need for nitrogen anyway, so they could be providing something else that the tree needs.

There are also two or three mature strawberry trees loaded with fruit a few meters away from the fig tree. Everything is growing on the slope of a mountainside.

The mystery bush has oak like leaves, but no acorns. It forms clusters of small black seeds. It seems to grow with most of the wild fig trees in the area, but otherwise it isn't very common. I haven't seen it grow in the lowlands.

FMD, there's not much to tell about my background that isn't in my videos (the shipping container cabin video in particular). I was born here and lived in England for a few years when I was very young.

From watching fig trees in their wild form, I'm starting to think they produce better when confronted with strangling competition. I've seen some truly humongous fig trees in cultivation that don't have nearly as many figs on them as some small wild trees.

As far as I know, there aren't any fig wasps in this country, but a large proportion of the wild trees I come across develop and ripen their figs (a lot of the trees having just a few figs on them). But the literature has the odds of self fertile fig trees developing from seed as being astronomical. I suppose the odds have improved now that the majority of the fig trees planted in the world are self fertile? I always read that the seeds in non-Smyrna figs are sterile.

eeplox,
Welcome to the F4F forum!

I liked the one video that I watched. I'll have to check out the rest of them later.

You seem to know the plants in your area very well. Most people seem to never bother learning much about their natural environment.

You also seem to know quite a bit about how plants function symbiotically as companion plants. This is something I need/want to learn more about. Very interesting and, possibly, important for us all to learn more about.

There are a number of wild fruits, berries, nuts & other stuff that I enjoy in my area. I think you may have an advantage in your part of the world though due to the moderate climate. It's obvious that you greatly appreciate what you have there. 

Please, eat some figs for those of us who only wish we could enjoy them in from the wild :-) ! Then you can share your experiences.

If you get the chance to do so, I'm sure we would all love to see you post some still photos of the figs and other fruit you encounter on your outings. You likely come accross many plants that most of us have never even heard of.

You've come to the right place to share your "wild" experiences. So, don't hold back ;) .

Thanks for posting! 

Bill, all of the plants he named are "Greek to me" so to speak :)

eeplox- I sure will check out more of your videos and revisit this one so I can absorb some more and learn about  figs and their natural home in the wild there. Some still photos of the mystery plant might get it identified, there are some sharp plant people here from all over.

Brent,

You suggested the very thing I forgot to mention in my post concerning some stills of that mystery tree. That would be a very good idea eeplox. As Brent said, there may very well be someone here that might ID that tree.

Great minds think alike right Brent ;) .

Your post triggered it Bill. I was about to start asking about leaf arrangement, pith, textures etc. But a picture really is worth a thousand words. I agree totally that more people should get out and learn about their environment, I am a newbie really but from what I understand, I found and exterminated the most northerly Kudzu plant in the country while out collecting plants for an Ecology class. It was a real good feeling, and I got an A in the class too! But then, what about all the other land in the area I am not exploring, more people should be looking and learning.

If anyone has not looked at eeplox's youtube videos yet, you really should, especially the "shipping container cabin video". What an incredibly interesting lifestyle you have chosen for yourself, eeplox! 

Interesting also is the "community wifi" you tap into to post your youtube videos and contributions to this forum.

I nominate you the most unique member of figs4fun! 

I took some photos of the mystery shrub growing on its own, and I was just looking at them when it suddenly popped - it's a bay laurel! I can't believe I didn't realise it earlier. I even planted one in my old garden a few years back. So mystery solved!

It's incredible the information we have stored deep in our memory banks, that can just jump to the surface when we have need of it.

Thanks for the kind words, FMD.

kalodechoumenos:)

Wow, you really do have it going on over there. How expensive is land and how hard is it to become a resident, can I use your wifi :) I really enjoyed your other videos. Purslane is my favorite too, there is a golden variety that has much bigger leaves but it is not nearly as heat tolerant as the wild plant form.I love your cucumber spaghetti recipe, is there a proper name for the device that you used to make it?

You got some tough cats there! Just as self sufficient as you even!

Thanks for sharing your video.  ; )