I have 4 varieties of figs. Each plant grows great and produces tons of figs. Problem is that the fruits are always bland. How do I get the figs to taste like the ones I buy in the store. Rare you will ever hear me say store bought tastes better than homegrown.
There could be several reasons why your figs are bland. This year I picked my first figs off my VdB. My wife and I were totally underwhelmed by the first one I picked, but I picked it while it was still a bit firm as I was afraid that I would lose it (an earlier fig dropped from the tree and I never found it.) I waited for the remainder of the figs to soften and wrinkle slightly, they were awesome.
Watering too much while fruit is on the tree can lead to splitting and blandness. Saw some guys complain last summer about late rains contributing to a bland crop. During the summer I did not provide supplemental water (or just a little) to the tree while it held figs. I provided supplemental water to just about everything else as the hot summer and fall dried out everything.
2 Likes
What varieties are you growing? Sometimes varieties have a great flavor in one environment while tasting absolutely bland in another. Watering, soil properties, temperatures at time of ripening, and length of time allowed to ripen really can change the flavor of any fig.
1 Like
I have brown turkey, Ishia, and another green I don’t know the name, and one supposed to be Nero. Only ones I am sure of variety wise is the brown turkey and Ischia. I never water them except let the hose run on them in extreme drought. We normally eat them when they are shriveled and droopy.Soil is mainly organic material that I back filled with and fertilizer is whatever comes out of the compost bucket.
1 Like
Green Ischia has a dark red interior and is one of the best tasting, IMO. Though what is regularly sold as Ischia has a white/clear interior and belongs in the Italian Honey/Lattarula/White Marseilles category. Green Ischia seems to take an eternity to ripen once they swell up though, about twice as long as Hardy Chicago.
Another thing to look out for is the African Fig Fly, they cause figs to soften without ripening properly and spoil soon after.
1 Like
Try to grow Mountain Edna’s types. They are excellent. Others rare good ones are Smith, JH Adriatic, Figo Preto, I 258, Black Madeira, …so on
Tony
I have beautiful, healthy, and highly productive plants. Not looking for new plants just want to get the best out of the ones I have.
Well, the problem might be maturity, environment, or some other unknown factor. I personally wouldn’t keep any fig tree unless the figs tasted great. There’s always the possibility of grafting if you want to try out other varieties while keeping your trees to see if taste improves.
Also, I recommend browsing www.ourfigs.com as well. Lots of wonderful information.
Ill check that out. If I have poor varieties I will end up getting rid of them. I just hate something being so productive yet so tasteless. Or keep them for my animals.
Is this the Nero?
Try dehydrating them, the flavor will get stronger.
I agreed that Brown Turkey is not a great flavor fig. The better and not expensive ones like Strawberry Verte, LSU Gold, Gino’s Black, Black Italian, and Takoma Violet are much better. Figs are so easy to cleft graft over.
Tony
That is a cutting from my first turkey fig. I did an experiment and planted that in mainly biochar. Did pretty good actually. How do you dehydrate figs? Oven on low?
Disease resistance is important to me. What is a tasty one that will survive in our diseased liquid air here in central Florida.
I have a Nesco dehydrator, I know someone who uses a convection oven @130f though. If you are eating them right away then you don’t have to dry them out all the way, just keep them in the freezer.
Looks like you maybe have English BT… Mine don’t usually get that dark on the outside but have a light interior like that. I use lots of biochar in my potting mixes, compost too, the figs love it. I only had a few ripe figs so far from my trees growing in compost socks, but they were very high quality and I think it was the compost. Mixed in biochar to a few but I haven’t noticed any difference yet.
You should get an Etna type, Hardy Chicago, MBVS, Gino’s Black, Black Greek, etc… They resist splitting really well and everyone loves the flavor.
Many varieties are virtually tasteless in a high humidity or high rainfall environment. Even air flow can effect taste in high humidity. As you know I have about 50 varieties that I am trialing in muggy Houston and Bryan TX. I have selected about five varieties that seem to always taste good regardless of humidity or high rain. Additionally these varieties do not sour or split. Smith fig is at the top of the taste list here in Houston. Never sours or splits even in weeks of rain
1 Like
That is good to know. Not heard that put that way. Probably my humidity and I may have to just live with the figs as they are I suppose.
If you’re growing them in the ground, part of the problem is that your Florida soil is high in phosphate and low in potash. If you’re growing in pots, then the phosphate is less of a problem but low potash is probably still an issue. Both situations can be remedied by supplements of Sul-Po-Mag. Make sure you’re buying it in consumer packaging and not repackaged from 50-lb bags – that way you’ll also obtain good dosage instructions.
The cultivar “Ischia” has a great reputation in Florida … even in the Orlando area. The cultivar “Violette de Bordeaux” does well there also (e.g. in Tampa Bay). In both cases they need to be pruned every year at waist high – as is done for all figs in low chill areas. Yes, you abandon the breba crop but it is worthless in low chill. For more info, see this thread: Violette de Bordeaux Fig (105 posts to date).
1 Like
If you are having excess water/splitting problems, I find that drying split or otherwise tasteless figs usually gives them some good taste - I assume it concentrates the sugars a little bit.
I think I am going to try drying them.
I like them dry too, you should try the ones mentioned VDB and Smith. Smith is an old heirloom from Louisiana. It’s pretty humid there! Another from there is called “Native Black” but I never seen it offered, I’m interested in that one too. Many growers in LA have said it is their favorite.And if they don’t they say Smith. You can graft it on one of your trees. I can send you VDB wood, my Smith is too small, I just rooted it this winter.
If you need wood, just PM me.
1 Like