Fruits.
Like some other fruits, desert figs are rich in fibers, which help regular bowel movements and avoid constipation. Fibers make the stool bulkier, preventing diarrhea and other intestinal problems. At the same time, the food spends more time in the digestive tract, allowing our body to extract all the nutrients from it. Vegetal fibers are also good for weight loss and help tackle obesity but have to be used with care. They have a high content of calories and when eaten in combination with milk they can actually increase a person's weight. Desert figs are a rich source of fibers, no more than a few fruits provide the entire recommended daily amount and there is no need to eat more. The main type of soluble fiber found in figs is pectin. Fiber acts like a detoxifier as it travels through the digestive system, since it removes any excess cholesterol on the way and transforms it into waste, which is excreted from the system. All soluble fibers, such as the pectin in figs, have this effect. However, since the amount of fiber is unusually high, consumption of desert figs can be laxative. A daily diet rich in fiber can boost overall health but also prevents many specific diseases. In particular, it can greatly decrease the risk of colon or abdominal cancer.
Desert figs are best eaten raw and are delicious when picked up straight from the wild. However, the timing must be perfect since many birds and animals feed on these fruits and will quickly eat all of them as they become ripe. As an alternative for longer storage, figs can be dried in the sun and consumed later. They can be processed into jam, which is a local Australian delicacy. They are also an ingredient in many recipes of cakes and ice creams.
Desert figs have a very particular method of pollination, which is one of the reasons that have restricted their natural range. Every tree can only be fertilized by a unique variety of wasp. The wasps and the trees have a mutual relationship, since the insect also depends on the fig for its reproduction. Desert fig flowers are of three different types, a male one and two female varieties, of which one is long and the other is short and known as the gall flower. The fruit houses all of these three types. The female wasps deposit their eggs only in the gall flower but pollinate the long female flowers in the process. From these eggs, the male fig wasps are born. They don't have wings and their role is to reproduce with the females as they come out of the eggs, then to dig an exit tunnel so the female insects can fly away. As they leave, the female wasps are covered in the pollen of the male flowers, which will fertilize the long female flowers when the insects find another tree where to deposit their eggs. This very complex system can only work if the trees bloom at different times of the year. As a result, a minimum number of trees is needed in order to cover all seasons with flowering figs of both types. If there are not enough trees in one area, the wasps die and the figs are not pollinated any longer.
Like most fruits, desert figs are rich in a mix of fibers, minerals and vitamins. The most important nutrients found in figs are the vitamin A, vitamin B1 and vitamin B2, as well as minerals like manganese, sodium, potassium, calcium, iron and phosphorus.
The tree is known for the very big production of fruits. The crop of figs is named the breba crop because the new fruits often emerge from the mature wood from last year's harvest, instead of the new shoots. These breba figs become ripe during the middle of summer, unlike the normal figs which mature later, at the start of autumn. The desert fig is a wild tree that exhibits important local varieties. Some fruits can be quite small but others reach an impressive size. Usually, the figs that are green to yellow in color have the largest size and are extremely sweet, with the central pulp resembling the one of a strawberry. The best fruits come from trees that grow at high elevations with cool weather. The most delicious figs also require cooler summers, without periods of extreme heat.
