Fig Facts for Kids

What am I?

You could say that I'm turned inside out. I'm a fruit with flowers on the INSIDE, which means I'm pollinated on the inside too. But we'll get to that next. 

Most people in the United States have tried me dried, but I can be eaten fresh. I'm common in the Mediterranean countries. Some historians believe it is the first cultivated crop. It's use dates back older than 6500 BC.

Where I grow

​I grow on trees in warm, dry climates. I need a special wasp to pollinate this fruit - but not how you think. The female wasp enters the fruit and lays eggs! When the eggs hatch, the wasps wiggle out. However, most of the fruit available today does not need wasps to grow. 

To grow new trees, farmers use cuttings from mature trees and grows it in pots.

After I'm picked

​I have to be picked at the perfect time when I just start to ripen. Once I'm picked, 90% of the fruit grown is dried. If you've had me, it's most likely in a cookie. That's because my natural flavor is sweet and has a nutty texture from the seeds in the fruit. I've been used as a sweetener for a long time.

Did you guess... Fig

Español: higo

​Did you FIG-ure it out? If you come across a fresh fig, don't miss your opportunity to try it! Figs are pretty amazing and have been enjoyed for thousands of years!

​Watch the videos to learn more!

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