Caught a fig thief red handed! :)

12 years ago

I got home from work and saw a pickup truck parked next to my fig tree. Someone was on a ladder picking away! I got out my Colt 45 and walked out to the tree with it in my hand.

When I got close all I could see was a pair of legs near the top of the ladder. I shouted, "hey you, what do you think you are doing!!!!" A clearly startled voice screamed " Don't shoot! I'm your cousin Joe!"

It WAS my cousin Joe! I had forgot that my Dad let him pick most of the figs every year! Dad died last August and my brothers and I inherited the farm. I bought out my brothers shares since I live next door.

We had a good laugh after he stopped shaking. I told him it was fine, just call me and let me know ahead of time! He always shared the preserves and wine he made from them with my Dad. Now he is going to do the same with me! Great deal for both of us! Best wine I have ever tasted!

Now I don't have to figure out what to do with all of the extras!

I also told him to help himself to my apples and pears.

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Comments (8)

wabikeguy
12 years ago
Now THAT'S funny, and I can relate.

More than once I've had people help themselves to fruit from my trees while I was away at work. One or two oranges or avacados from the perimeter of my place would have been ok.

Walking away with bags and bags of fruit and leaving broken branches behind...like I said....I can relate.

Dave
Kevin Reilly
12 years ago
Pull a gun on a guy in your Fig tree? ...then when he sees the gun and panics and takes his own gun out and one of you shoots the other I can see the news report now "man ends up with gunshot wound in hospital in dispute over figs..."
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I had planted many beautiful plants around my office a few years ago--many expensive perennials and some unusual shrubs, many of which were stolen in three successive years. I had some inexpensive annuals, and these were not taken--my thief was very discriminating. This broke my heart and depressed me for weeks following that. I could not believe people would actually steal plants! I have had my bike stolen, a very expensive tuxedo taken out of my son's car, cameras stolen out of our trunks, bookbags taken at school, but never plants. Who does that?? Every gardener I ever knew was a good soul with a generous spirit. Bad people do not like plants!!! It took me a long time to get over that one, and I hated the feeling of profound disappointment I had in people in general, but it did get better. My heart goes out to anyone who has gone through this. Plants are a little bit like our offspring--hard to let go of sometimes.
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Herman , first no offense taken. My unknown is funny as last year and this year the melon taste is not there, the sugary taste is there just like last year but the inside color of fig last year was similar to yours but this year its taken on a red color, i just dont understand figs period the way they grow. Like i said my fig im just guessing at and it will always remain unknown until they have a home gardeners DNA test which i doubt i live to see that. Its great you can post a known variety here on forum and it is appreciated for us to see a true type. The only thing i know as i have been eating them a long time is when i like or dislike a fig. I did have a mature brown turkey at one time groing in a half whiskey barrel and i know it seems like some just think of it as a rather common fig but to me when fully ripe its a pretty good tasting fig i think you might agree, but when i gave to neighbor as he adores them it died when he put in his shed. As for mine like i have said it leaves so many unripe figs cause it needs a warmer climate than mine and its too bad because the taste to me is great, but Cecil now has a small plant from mother tree and it should do very well in his area. Oh yes im sorry for long post thats me, but i just picked another ripe one from this tree and i show it now on a new thread, please look. Best Health Martin
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I have moved all of my plants from the driveway to the front porch, where they now are just outside my bedroom window. This was certainly not the first theft here and probably won't be the last. Like Alabamanicole, I had once been waiting for some fully ripened pears only to go out to harvest them and found the entire tree stripped. We are living in curious times today, a time where theft is almost socially acceptable and even encouraged among the young. Too, between the city police, county police, state patrol, sheriffs, and school police, I have never seen so many law enforcement officers and vehicles, yet crime continues to spiral out of control while violent crime rises daily. Yes, I do see this as just another sign of the times and the police are overwhelmed. Most of the folks who come to my home have been overwhelmingly friendly and possessing nothing but good intent, but I doubt if I will be selling plants next year, it's just to much of an invitation for those with other intents. Now, when I hear folks walking on my front porch without knocking or ringing the bell, it makes me mighty nervous. The trouble is not one of whether or not I have reported this, but more an issue of our most fundamental values, social mores with family and community, and even our institutions no longer teaching or upholding the historical, fundamental values that were once the framework of our country and its people. This affects us all, but the concept of placing the load on the police as society declines and traditional constructs are lost, leads inevitably to a big brother state, not one of a country of, by and for the people. The problem is US...and has been throughout the history of great nations. The solution must come from within, but maybe things like shoplifting, thefts, home invasions, disrespect, and a generalized anger are simply a sign.
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That really sucks! Weird how someone would just do that..... I've never had anything stolen or clipped. But I don't give anyone any opportunity to do it. All my plants are kept inside except for my schefflera and ensete which go out in the summer. Yet they're both in my backyard surrounded by multiple fences and houses and a gate. Also the Ensete weighs 50 pounds. So they'd have to be pretty determined. If someone took cuttings from anyone of my plant I'd be pretty ticked off. I'm not one for change and it takes a lot out of me to actually cut back my philo and others. I like to think my room as a museum as everything is where I like it and nothing should be touched. I honestly don't know why but if someone (other than me) So much as rotates anything it drives me insane. Then I'll spend a long time trying to put it back exactly as it was, but it's never good enough because deep down I know it wasn't like that before. It's a problem really...
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ejp3
12 years ago
I have always wanted to make fig wine. The only problem I see is that it takes an enormous amount of figs to do so and I enjoy everyone of them so much fresh off the tree that I kind of wish I had a very productive variety that the figs tasted bad enough to use for wine.
genecolin
12 years ago
Fig jacking, car jacking, or home invasion, all the same principle. It's not yours, it's mine, hands off.
"gene"
wertach zone 7-B SC
Original Author
12 years ago
Melike, I appreciate your concern! I didn't point it at him! With all the crazy's out and about these days I wasn't about to confront anyone without any protection!

I wasn't really worried about losing the figs. But for all that I knew it could have been someone trying to find anything to steal and decided figs would do! LOL

A few weeks ago, a guy I work with stopped at the Jack in the Box to get a breakfast sandwich and someone attempted to carjack him! Too bad that we aren't allowed to carry weapons on the job. He ended up with three broke knuckles fighting off the carjacker, that escaped.

Anyone on my property, unannounced, may be subject to lead poisoning.
ryecooder
12 years ago
You should of got the water hose out and sprayed him good lol
that would of been funny
herman2_gw
12 years ago
EJP:I wonder if you have a Marseilles blk VS.
If you want fig wine this fig left to grow huge with a huge net over it,will be able to give you enough figs to make wine.
It also got the high sugar content to produce alcohol.
I have tried many figs and some are a notch better flavored,but never I found a more precocious one.
Also the most resilient in cold climate.
ejp3
12 years ago
Herman, I do have one and it is a great fig. One spot opened up this past year in the ground but I chose a madeira fig instead. My only knock on marseilles vs is that it is not a large fig, but if it gives me a lot of figs then size dosent matter. It still will be difficult to not eat the figs and instead keep them for wine production but thanks for the advice.

Caught a fig thief red handed! :)

Comments (8)

wabikeguy

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Caught a fig thief red handed! :)

Comments (8)

wabikeguy

Kevin Reilly

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genecolin

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wertach zone 7-B SC
Original Author