In this episode of Fruit Love Letters, Jessamine Starr chats with

• Mike Shanahan, British biologist/writer, author of Gods, Wasps and Stranglers: The Secret History and Redemptive Future of Fig Trees

Episode Highlights

Figs, An Edible Ancestral Fruit.

• Mike Shanahan provides a deeper dive into the connection between fig trees and the story of creation across cultures, beyond the well known story of Adam & Eve. 

• Mike explains the fig’s pollination process and its symbiotic relationship with wasps. 

• But worried about wasps in your fig? Mike lets us know how that is no longer a concern in the cultivated figs we consume.

• Mike and Jessamine discuss the important role the fig has as a keystone fruit for the environment and many species throughout history, including humans. (possibly contributing to developing the use of our thumbs!)

• The connection between Buddhism and fig trees is explored, as Mike shares the story of The Tree of Enlightenment and the symbolic nature of the fig tree.

• Fig trees have been at risk of being cleared to make way for road developments, but they have an ability to kickstart rainforest regeneration due to quickly producing fruit. 

•  If you want a new way to add intrigue into your next fig jam, Jessamine shares the tip of adding a bitter component like black tea or coffee to balance the sweetness.