Figs, figs, everywhere!

You forgot something, strudeldog. What types of brebas are they?

Ok well they were tasty:) That’s what type they were. I don’t grow that many unknowns but these three all are in question. The dark fig came to me as Kathleen Black but it is not the source now thinks it’s Sal’s Corleone, and they are likely right. I grow Sal’s Corleone so will compare more closely. They are knowledge and shared wood before it fruited. Their source was knowledgeable as well and stated it was Sal’s Corleone as well, but based on his figs was sure that it was Sals C. I will remain a unk likley forever in my records. The green fig is 1 I have labeled Unk Adriatic Grasa. The yellow fig is my favorite Breba. Unk Bills White Italian. It is my most prolific breba producer and very good. Many Breba I don’t care for the taste that much compared to the main crop but these are
excellent. It produces a nice main crop that is one of my favorite main
crop light figs. Here is a pic of it on tree.

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Phil,

Are all your figs potted? Any in-ground ? Looks awesome .

Tony

Tony,

Thanks I have 170+ in ground figs, Most were planted out June 2015, I had about dozen in ground prior. Glad my major plant out was last year with above average rain. This year I have had severe drought and only trees newly planted this year getting water.

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@strudeldog, those breba look delicious and refreshing!

Here’s a couple of my in-ground figs, planted out last year from 2-3yr old plants. Survived a ‘mild’ Maine winter wit a low of -17 F with 6" of woodchips on top, although died back to soil line, 4 out of 4 made it. All Mt Etna types. I just planted 11 more in ground based on the survival rate, wider variety range all second year plants. Next season I hope to give these a headstart under plastic, probably necessary with my short season. I need a zone 9 microclimate! Still keeping most of mine in pots.

<img src="/uploads/default/original/2X/9/903be38c3625de58877d2ad8b28d5007cb0210da.jpg" width=“690” height=“388”

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I’ll tell you a trick that was formerly used in Europe for figs ripen all at the same time.

you just have to take a little olive oil on a cloth and slightly anoint the fig ass with oil, past 7 days all the figs are ripe.

This method is used in ancient people who was selling figs, so when they went to collect the harvest could grab 100% of figs

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We call that part of the fig the eye.

I believe it’s necessary to wait until the figs have fattened and started to change color before speeding up the process with the drop of oil.

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if it is so, here explains bass Samaan
http://www.treesofjoy.com/content/oiling-fig

When you put oil on the eye to ripen it it takes some of the flavor away. So only do this at the end of the year to ripen your figs.

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Here’s a pic of a lonely Armenian fig, which is the only fig on the little stick of a branch on the young plant, which I hope will eventually grow into a tree. The start was given to me by a member here this winter. It’s a big fig for such a little plant! The appearance is different from the few other varieties I’ve been growing. It widens considerably as it goes from stem to eye, and the has a more ribbed appearance. There was a drop of moisture exuding from the eye several days ago, which I tasted. That drop was neither sweet nor latexy, but surprised me by being more like a drop of oil. That happened before there was any talk on here about oiling figs.

The eye is more open than on my others. I really like the shades of yellow-green that it acquires while ripening. It’s softening now, but might have a few days to go before I eat it. I’m looking forward to trying this one. Considering the taste of that single drop, I’m wondering whether or not the ripe fig will actually be sweet.

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In comparison, here is a pic of the eye of a ripening Kadota, which also weeps from the eye. The difference is that exudate is thick, very sweet, and gels over, closing the eye.

All this Kadota has ever wanted to do is produce figs. It always sets two, sometimes three, figs per leaf, and maintains a short distance between leaf nodes. I wind up having to remove some. Otherwise, they become so crowded that it becomes like a single mass of figs. I think it’s cool that it does that, but I think that propensity to make so many figs comes at a cost. The energy that is used creating so many figs is not available to produce more branches, wood, and leaves. Thus, I believe that double and triple production reduces the overall rate of tree growth.

Here’s a pic of near ripening figs on that tree. I thinned them quite some time ago, but left many doubles.

Trees that grow and produce like this one could be very beneficial for those who grow in containers, and for others who wish to have increased production while managing tree size.

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Kadota is sweet and large? Just wondering…i’m adding an LSU Purple and Gold this spring but may opt out on the Gold for a Kadota. Space issues.

Yes, it looks good. Kadota is in the “Honey” flavor group. I have Peter’s Honey, Atreano, and Excel that are in that group. Others I heard were good are Salem White, Lattarula,and Italian Honey. IH is prolific, and often named as a favorite in colder zones. One I could use! All in the “Honey” Flavor group. Others are good too, i could go on and on. As far as my notes on figs. i have not tasted all of them! Just going from my notes. Eventually I may try some that keep getting praise like Italian Honey.
(it is praised for being a consistent heavy producer).

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I have 2 brebas that are big, yellowish and soft compares to the newly popped out figlets greenish and hard. Are they ready for picking? I have no clue since this is my first! I would not want to pick unripe since it’s not going to be readied for eating but I don’t want to let the squirrels discover their new joys!

HELP!.. :scream:

Tom

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John, as far as ‘large’ goes, the Kadotas aren’t nearly as large as figs that have been caprified. Those can be Godzilla sized! But neither of us lives in fig wasp territory.

Comparatively, the largest Kadotas in the main crop wind up being about twice the size of my Southern Brown Turkey figs, which are medium sized. You can’t tell from the two photos, but that Armenian is a whopper. It would take more than two of the Kadota to equal it. That’s an unfair comparison, though, because that Armenian is only carrying that one fig, and it’s the first fig it has produced. I don’t know what the Armenian will produce once it gets bigger, but the shape makes me suspect that they will continue to be large.

Also, most Kadota fig trees don’t insist on making twofers and threefers. However, this behaviour is more often found in Kadota than other varieties. Yes, they are sweet.

I haven’t tasted the LSU varieties, but they are supposed to do well in our regions. Maybe someone else in the Southeast has grown or tasted both locally grown LSU Gold and Kadota and could give you a fair comparison.

I’ve only been growing 3 types in the ground so far, Brown Turkey, Kadota, and Black Mission. None has been winter damaged. All three are work horses in their own ways. The BT because it’s huge. The Kadota because of it’s concentrated effort on producing figs, and the Mission because it just keeps churning out figs, and can easily give me at least 3 crops a year if I count the light breba crop, which was REALLY good tasting. None of these are big name, exotic varieties. They’ve all been dependably heavy producers for me and we enjoy their flavors.

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Tom, when the neck droops and can barely hold the ripened fig, they are ready. That can happen quickly when it’s really hot and sunny. But it’s always too slowly when you are eagerly waiting. :wink: We have to check figs twice a day when the largest crops are coming in.

Muddy,

It sounds like I better put on some defense mechanism to protect while waiting for the figs to ripe properly from this point onward. So far, the tree rats are still enjoying their new found wealth in my peach trees and what else so they have not seen these figs yet…

Thanks for the advise.

Tom

Atreano should have pink or reddish meat, not really a honey fig, just FYI.

Yeah, well I didn’t classify them. I heard it’s based on taste, not color. No doubt it could be a mistake on the list, which is not official for sure! Just a guy like us trying to make sense of it all. Others I’m sure have their own classifications.

I got a shot of a branch of my young Black Mission in order to show what I meant when I called it a workhorse.

Those more mature figs are not breba figs. I’ve already eaten and posted a pic of how large the brebas were. That’s all this year’s growth. That branch continues for several leaves (and figlets) beyond what fit in the frame, and it continues to grow. This continuous growth and production are why I consider it also a workhorse.

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