Same for my RdB, ampersand. I can’t remember if I actually got the cuttings directly from Bass, or one person removed. No FMV and I live in S. California. Very fortunate. Had one ripe fruit yesterday which looked identical to your fruit. VERY dark inside, right to the walls. Very “figgy” tasting, I like it quite a lot.
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Patty my RdB’s act about the same. What has worked best to coax them to produce has been to train the trunks as lateral as possible and protect as much as possible in the winter. One trunk that was almost intact (winter only took the tip) may be the first main crop to ripen this season. This one is 3yrs old/4th season. Has FMV but I prune it out and cuttings make 90% symptom free plants, 3rd generation are all symptom free so far. It has never been to California, the most likely place to get a fig bud mite infestation and FMV is from another fig tree collection, does not matter the state, only the grower. Tree is about 4ft. high and 12ft. wide
p.s. Avoid pruning as much as you can by bringing branches down, vigorous growth seems to antagonize fruit set on RdB and others. This tree ripened some fruit every year, but 10x the amount is set this year now that it is growing much less vigorously.
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Ok. So. I have a confession to make. I thought I didn’t like figs until last fall… And I’m 40. I repent and regret the lost years and experiences I’ve missed out on by not giving them a try sooner. I got my first tree, Chicago Hardy and I was growing it for my mom as a surprise as she is nuts for figs. Well, I decided to try one and it changed my life. I have since gone to farmers markets all over the world on my chocolate travels and am trying every fig I can and paying silly money ordering fresh figs online. I officially have the bug and this thread has fueled the fire in a major way.
I am looking to grow more figs and am willing to green house them. I have read of many varieties here but can I get a couple people to give me their top 5 all time favorites and how can I find starts or trees? I would really appreciate the help and guidance.
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How about starting a thread to tell us about those chocolate travels? You can’t just drop an eye catching statement like that and not follow up on it! I know I’m not the only one here who can be tempted to distraction by chocolate.
You aren’t the first, and won’t be the last, person to not realize they enjoyed figs until they actually ate a fresh, ripe one. 
Funny how that works.
Autumn might be a good time to ask if you want to try to root cuttings. Different people will have different all time favorites. I’m not going to offer an opinion on that because I don’t consider myself one to have tried a broad enough sampling to form a worthwhile opinion. Out of the ones that you, yourself, have sampled, what were the characteristics that appealed to you most? That might help those who are knowledgeable to guide you toward varieties most suited to your tastes.
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Ev,
Panache is a good one if rated soley on flavor, but it is not the easiest fig to fruit in a cold climate.
Looks like you are in a cold zone, so best for you to greenhouse figs, or overwinter them in pots in the basement.
With a shorter season, you’ll want to research for figs that ripen their main crop as early as possible (examples include Ronde de Bordeaux and Marseilles Black VS)… and those which can produce breba figs (Desert King is the classic example).
If you haven’t already seen it-- you might find this other thread interesting:
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Mine so far would be Strawberry Verte, Paradiso, Ronde de Bordeaux, St Rita, Figo Preto, and Black Madeira.
Thank you for the recommendations. I am not aware of the varieties of all that I have tried as many of the places only had one variety available and often did not know what the variety was. All I know is that I like them sweet and I don’t mind some strong flavors either.
If there is anyone that has cuttings they wouldn’t mind sharing, I would love to try my hand at it. There isn’t much that I haven’t been able to grow and I have a temp controlled make shift greenhouse that I grow cacao trees in just for fun that might make a wonderful place to get the figs established. I am not sure how that works but I will of course pay for shipping and everything. I just want good varieties that certainly won’t be available at my local stores.
I just found some delicious calimyrna and black missions at the farmers market today and ate about 15 throughout the day!!! I swear some were filled with pear honey.
I really should!! I have been working with cacao farmers all over the world for the past 10 years searching for new and superior cacao varieties as well as perfecting post harvest practices for my chocolate companies. It is a lot of fun. Almost as fun as making and eating chocolate!!!
I have big plans for fresh choco covered figs. Maybe someone has some amazing extras that I can buy this year and I’ll pay to have them express shipped and cover them?!? Then I can send them back half covered w choco… Any takers? 
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as long as they come back wrapped in bacon and dipped in chocolate, I’m in.
Hmm… Bacon and figs and choco?? You may be on to something. 
Yesterday was a Dark day for figs. There were some lights but the Darks ruled the day
Takoma Violet in ? I am recently having uncertainty that this is Takoma Violet but it’s one of my best overall
Kesariani awesome fig
MBVS
Hardy Hartford
Hardy Chicago
Dark Portuguese
Natalina
Owensboro
Gino’s Black
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Strudeldog,
You know how to grow some figs for sure. I got a couple of Chicago hardy fig trees this week. My brown turkey fig has not done well for me though I have had it in the ground for several years. Some day my Chicago hardy I’m confident will produce some figs for me.
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Dude, your figs are incrediballs. I can’t look anymore. [drooling like a fool over here]
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Man that is quite a haul. Gino’s black looks crazy good
The cutting I bought from ebay that was supposed to be Black Madeira is growing an extra lob on the center lob of the leaf now so it probably isn’t BM. The good news is it has 14 figlets on it! My VDB is only a foot tall or so and has three figlets! I have two figs on my Brunswick that I rooted last year. It looks like figlets are starting on Chicago rooted this year too. It gives hope for next year. I’ll put them in my greenhouse to stretch the season and see. Everything had such a late start here because of the cold spring. My tomatoes are a month behind.
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A second round of Italian Honey is coming!
About 5 or 6 of them are ripening at almost the same time this round! 
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Matt, that is great! I would be tempted to net my railing. No stray birds? Lucky you! You’ve worked so hard for those figs!
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Here’s a pair of figlets growing on my potted Bronze Paradiso. I’m most proud of these little guys as this is a plant I cloned myself from cuttings received from @fruitnut. I wonder if these will ripen before the cold arrives in October. What do folks think?
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