How do you eat your figs?  Most Americans eat dried figs or fig cookies, but have never had the pleasure of eating a fresh ripe fig directly from the tree.  This joy of fresh fig eating however is not limited to those living in the tropics or the Mediterranean- but can be experienced right here in New Mexico.  You can have your own fig tree and the Fig Man of New Mexico, Lloyd Kreitzer, wants to show you how.

Lloyd Kreitzer has been cultivating figs for over 10 years at his nursery/home located in Albuquerque.  Through his business, appropriately named The Land of Enfigment, he offers a variety of trees and services including:

• Fig trees, featuring many varieties from New Mexico, the US, and abroad
• Chinese date trees, which are very nutritious and easy to grow
• Tree consulting and pruning, for both fruiting and non-fruit bearing trees

“If you give to the fig tree, it will give much more back to you,” says Lloyd when talking about fig tree care.  Fig trees do really well in our climate, but they require a little more attention, such as a little hay or leaf insulation to survive our winters.  Figs also do not ripen all at once, so you need to take the time to check each branch.  Lloyd says that this extra attention is welcomed as “figs cause people to slow down and do things differently”.

Are you tired of eating dried figs?   Consider planting a fig tree today.  It will provide you not only with sweet fresh fruits, but its unique leaves and branches are a great addition to any backyard garden.

Contact Lloyd today for more information.  The Fig Man will also be a vendor at the 2008 Local Food Festival and Field Day.