gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K, CC BY 2.0 <https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\nCould be Confused with:<\/h2>\n
Check that the leaf cross-section is truly triangular, check the habitat and observe whether the plant has a very dense mat structure, and there is little to confuse Sour Fig with.<\/p>\n
\nEdible Uses:<\/h2>\n
The leaves are succulent and have a slightly tangy, bitter flavour which complements salads and stir-fries well.<\/p>\n
They would also lend themselves to foraged sushi and other dishes as a substitute for cucumber, including lacto-fermented pickles.<\/p>\n
The fruits are best harvested when they feel very ripe to the touch – and are the source of the name ‘Sour Fig’ – for jams, chutneys, syrups, and fruit drinks.<\/p>\n
They can be dried for preservation.<\/p>\n
Take care to strain the many seeds out of your final product. Ensure they are ripe; the flesh is very astringent if not properly ripened.<\/p>\n
The ripe fruits make a nice forager’s snack if you suck out the inner flesh.<\/p>\n
\nMedicinal and Traditional Uses:<\/h2>\n
The fruits and flowers have been used in South Africa for fungal and bacterial infections, particularly of the gut. Some chemicals with antimicrobial activity have been isolated from this plant, such as rutin and hyperoside.<\/p>\n
Like Aloe, the leaf juice\/gel can be used topically in creams, lotions or directly as a soothing emollient.<\/p>\n
\nExtra Points, Tips and Fun Facts:<\/h2>\n
This plant can reproduce both with runners and seeds, making it a rather tenacious land-grabber. It has been cultivated on land that is vulnerable to forest fires due to its high water content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hotten-Tot Fig \/ Spring \/ Summer \/ Autumn \/ Winter \/ Edible Common Names Sour Fig\/Ice Plant (The name Hottentot Fig is also known, but foragers should be aware that this name has colonial and racist history in South Africa where the plant originated) Latin Name Carpobrotus edulis, Aizoaceae (Fig-Marigold…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":34067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[185,101],"tags":[239,785,784,104,238,122],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34062"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34069,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34062\/revisions\/34069"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}