My Mama, God rest her soul, loved the figs from the trees that her (very legal) immigrant parents planted. I wasn’t a fan, but then, I was a kid. Turned my nose up at plenty of (food) things, and learned the hard way to stop doing that.
Now I enjoy figs! ;)
I LOVE pickled watermelon rind! Not sure if I can still have it, since I’m allergic to watermelon now - a sad fact of being overexposed as a youngster. It might be worth the try! They are pickled after all!! It might be enough of a difference that a Benadryl and some Zantac (two different allergen receptors) might stave off the need for an epi-pen, which I would be sooo happy to test as long as hubby agrees. It would be really cool if I could have something watermelon again. He might not agree.
"Yes, watermelon rind can cause the same allergic reaction as the red flesh, because the allergenic proteins are present in both parts of the fruit.
Key allergens such as malate dehydrogenase, profilin, and triosephosphate isomerase are found not only in the flesh but also in the rind and seeds. A clinical case study confirmed IgE reactivity to protein extracts from both the pulp and the inner part of the rind, indicating that allergic individuals may react to either or both parts.
Additionally, some people may experience oral allergy syndrome (OAS) when consuming raw watermelon, and symptoms can occur regardless of whether the flesh or rind is eaten—especially if the rind is consumed raw or in pickled form.
Therefore, individuals with a diagnosed watermelon allergy are generally advised to avoid all parts of the fruit, including the rind."
Aww, God bless her where she is!
When I lived in a big city rowhome neighborhood, one of my neighbors who had been born in Italy (and never learned English) owned a house-less lot around 15' by 55' next to his house, where he planted a garden. He had built raised beds on both sides and the back, and although it was between two 3-story houses, it got sun every afternoon as it faced west. The crowning glory of his garden was a big fig tree in the raised bed across the back—“Fighi.”
He lived to be over 100, and still toddled out to poke around with his peppers, onions, green beans, tomatoes, and carnations. What an inspiration he was!