Figs 2018

I know there are lots of us growing many different varieties of figs on this forum and would love to see and hear your fig evaluations here! I will start with a picture of my 18 in 1 project tree. It is a Panache tree as root, and has worked so much better than my VDB as root. Problem with VDB is it puts on way to many fig fruit so the grafts take and grow a bit and then stunt out as it ripens it’s many hundred fruits. On Panache, the grafts have grown very vigorous and many are staked, with up to 5 feet of growth! Looking forward to seeing everyone’s fig pictures and thoughts!!

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Here is a 5 foot Red Lebanese BV graft that broke of the Panache. Bummed, but have 2 more arms of it on the tree. I cut the top foot off and put it in water for about 2 weeks, then transferred to damp perlite to root. It is rooting out nicely, so hopefully I’ll have a new tree in the future. Not all is lost, so glad it was not my one arm of CC!

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Here’s some recent figs of mine.

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Wow, so many awesome varieties right there! And all picked at the peak of ripeness, which makes it easier to compare. Really nice figs there Fruitnut, any pics of the insides?

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That is too cool. I havent had a fig in years. At my last house i had a BT that would get frozen to the ground about every other year but 2 years ago had a bumper crop. I have 5 now at the new house but all small spring rooted cuttings. I plan to put few back in the ground in a better spot at my new house and take cuttings of them as back ups.

mike

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A lot of figs most of them dark color flesh.
Which one you like the best Steve?

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Super good looking figs, the inside pictures really tell the story!

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It would be easier to say which aren’t so good. A lot are close enough together in taste that it’s more about production.

I was disappointed in Smith a fig with a big reputation for quality. Maybe in a humid climate with more water it would come closer to it’s potential.

Panache, another with a great reputation has been hit and miss for eating quality.

Black Madeira usually lives up to it’s reputation as the best eating common fig or nearly so. It’s cousins Preto, Craven’s Craving, and Madeira Island Black are too similar to tell apart.

For new to me figs I really like Exquisito, Thermalito, Sangue Dolce, Galicia Negra, BFF, Izmir, and Iraqi. But I lack enough experience to give them a full endorsement just yet.

For production and taste I like Socorro Black, Bourjasotte Grise, Maltese Beauty, I-258, Battaglia Green, Paradiso, and Strawberry Verte. These are my best that I know do really well in my greenhouse.

All the CdD that I’ve tasted are great figs but they aren’t the most precocious and need a long season to mature first fruit. I love the color and taste of CdD Roja.

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Thank you so much for all information Steve.
We have less choices in the cold areas . You have quite large quatities of fruits every years . What would you do with all them in their harvest season? I really like Italian honey fig.

I really like of variegated of panache fig . Looking so beautiful , but it is not good quality fig. Good to know.
Your figs look so delicious like jam Steve .

That’s pretty much how some taste. The green figs Batt Green, Paradiso, and SV taste a lot different from many of the dark figs. It’s a nice contrast.

I’m drying most of them for winter fruit and for gifts. If dried just right they are superb. Not too dry, still chewy, but dry enough for long term storage.

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Panache seems to really benefit from the fig wasp, mine are excellent, with a nice honey syrup when ripe, or let it dry a bit on the tree for a different dryer, more intense flavor. Both ways are excellent, but I may prefer them a bit dry, a real good fig if you have the wasp!

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I suspect mine will turn out to be good as well. A few fruits over a couple of yrs isn’t enough to form a good opinion.

That’s the biggest fallacy I see about fruits. Beginners think if they taste one fruit all the rest will be the same. What I see is lots of variation between fruits for everything I grow.

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A lot of syrup , looking very good. Yummy

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I agree fruits need to be tried out for years before they show their true colors and I will bet your Panache will be better in the future. Of all my figs, it attracts the most fig wasps, almost all look like this in June after being invaded.

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Thanks Vincent, very refreshing on a hot day, I also like them drier with desert or pairing with red wine.

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All the rain has split most varieties so far for me, it has been pretty hard on lots of stuff this year. I played the part of the wasp and hope to get to try UNK Pastilliere for the first time, the pollinated ones are holding while the rest are dropping so it looks good. Also a Smyrna that is supposed to be Yellow Neches, just to be thorough and waste some more time on it, at some point I should earn the right to complain :wink:

Lucky you had some rain, most of everywhere now so drought and waiting for water .

There must have been 15" of rain in the past month, I’d rather have drought :wink:

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