Maybe figs do taste good

Hm, I got mine from Andy as well. All my fruit dropped though, we’ll see what this year brings!

Bob,

Please don’t do anything to jeopardize the health of your plant for me.

If it ever produces excess wood, then send some to Drew… and maybe me, if there’s plenty.

If the plant stays a runt, and merely continues to pump out delicious figs for your enjoyment, then leave it alone and let it do its thing.

I would hate for it to die from cold exposure just because you felt any pressure from us to enlarge its vegetative growth.

Like you say-- It’s hard not to get excited. But don’t shoot yourself in the foot just because I’m covetous.

it could be tough with figs(and growing it outside its zone makes it even harder), but hopefully you’d be able to.

speaking for myself, i have received/bought some figs, mulbs and jujus that aren’t what they are supposed to be, and would rather leave them unnamed–and give them away unnamed, to avoid perpetuating the confusion. I just tell the recipients that those are pretty good, but not sure about their identity, lol

No, I was already thinking I wanted it to grow more (I wouldn’t mind a few copies for myself too, as well as a larger harvest). Once the current figs are done, I’ll probably re-pot it and give it some more fertilizer to give it a better shot at growth. Then, when spring comes, I’ll decide if it is putting on enough growth or needs an outside home.

Yeah, even if I think I’ve figured it out, I’d probably describe it as Unknown Honey (may be “…”).

Glad to hear that we’ll have another data-point about it. I bet you’ll get some fruit this year.

covetous vultures! just kidding.

but seriously, hopefully some start-up laboratory would be able to produce cheapo DIY tissue-culture ‘kits’ for the regular joe. Cuttings are a slow way of propagating, especially where am at. I have some really runty figs which would love to share, but bearing just 2-3 figs a year the past 4 years, giving away cuttings will slow them down worse…

I’m surprised they are so slow for you. Are they potted or in the ground? Perhaps it’s just the summer heat…

probably too hot and dry here. Figs obviously appreciate so cal/mediterranean weather, but not the namib desert weather…

turkey figs seem to be the fastest growing, but they grow 6" taller and wider at their fastest(per growing season)…
i had a potted kadota which i grew on the north side of our property but it wasn’t really appreciating the watering and the cooler conditions so just planted it in-ground. My obscure figs are even more runty, probably afflicted with something, or just really unhappy on their own roots, i am thinking of grafting them on to our ‘more vigorous’ turkeys but afraid they will transmit what affliction they might have…

I do have a lot of figs, my favorites so far, and it’s very early in the game. Are Unk, Teramo, Red Lebanese, both Bass and Bekaa Valley. Both are really good. Everybody should have VDB too. Very dark figs and a heavy producer. I found MBVS to get better as it becomes colder out. By the end of the year it’s the best fig of them all. I don’t have a Celeste but some of my unknowns are like Celeste and man they are tasty! Like Sweet Dianna. I got Strawberry Verte too which Fruitnut likes, have not had fruit yet. I like the unknowns people find in yards. As often the immigrant brought the best fig in their region to have here when they immigrated to the US. Hundreds of them are out there. Some I bet are as good as it gets.
Just Fruit & Exotics brought back from Portugal a fig they thought was Black Madeira, sold it as such. On the fig forums those who bought it discovered it is not BM, as it matures way too early. Sounds like a winner, a BM type fig that mature early. I have a very small plant. They no longer sell it as it is too hard to root. Cuttings do not root well They could not keep a decent stock of plants. I have some others too, and I look for the yard found figs. Right now 7 are up for sale on EBay from a known seller for 40 bucks. I really want to buy them, I have till Friday to hold myself back! Nobody except the seller knows how good they are? Many have bought them. But I have so many I will pass.

Me too, some of my 2nd leaf plants produced 50 figs. Two first year plants grew to 5 feet, one in the ground grew to over 7 feet, a first year fig! (Sweet Dianna)

2 Likes

when someone starts considering unknowns, it is a sign one has collected too many cultivars :grin:

glad your trees grow that fast and that many are precocious despite the rapid growth.
here, figs don’t grow fast, but their gnarly growth seems to have a positive effect on fruit-set and fruit quality(relative to size of tree)
i have seen some ~15 foot-tall fig trees in really old neighborhoods here, and really jealous!

where we are at, black mulbs, gerardi mulbs, and figs are three that we do not prune.

Probably true! Well the not unknowns I want, i would need to take a loan out to purchase them. I thought about buying them and selling to make the money back. Then thought better of it. I need to join FGA (fig growers anonymous)
Hello my name is Drew and I’m a figoholic.

I started growing tropical plants and cacti, added edibles, and figs are both, so I really like them. I still have cacti and sub tropical trees. This is my view if I turn my chair around away from the computer. I started growing and collecting plants in 1976, the jade pictured is over 35 years old.

2 Likes

I have this fig too, it is rare, and all. It fruits late for here, only about 1/3 of the crop makes it here. Very good figs, 1/3 is fine with me! I got cuttings for 5 bucks! Not anymore! No signs of FMV either.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/201780138326?&rmvSB=true

On the JF&E Black Madeira NOT, It might have been earlier than UC DAVIS Black Madeira for some folks but not for me at least this year is was pretty much at same time, if anything a little later, but then I think they might have sent out more than 1 cultivar as they sent replacements to some folks. I don’t think they brought it in from Portugal themselves, but I think they did tell some folks it was a Black Fig from Madeira, I had an extended discussion with the owner of JF&E before all the controversy and before they sent these out when I was there, and at that time convinced her they were not Black Madeira, mostly based on comparing to the UC DAVIS Black Madeira mother tree they had there. I even contacted at that time who they told me was the cuttings source and He stated he had never grown Black Madeira but did supply cuttings to them of other figs.

I like JF&E alot probably my favorite nursery, and they did not mean to deceive, and went above and beyond trying to correct the issue, But I don’t think they know what they sent out, and maybe never figured out is why not everyone was was told same story. Here is a pic comparing at least one plant they sold as B.M. (left) with a UC DAVIS B.M. (right) They did have the UC DAVIS B.M. at some point and may still.

JF&E on left UC DAVIS USDA on right

4 Likes

I’m surprised that someone with your experience (Bob) hasn’t already been on the fig bandwagon, but its fun seeing your reaction to tasting a great fresh fig because its so similar to my own. I honest to goodness had never even SEEN a fresh fig when I bought my first plant at Lowes. Two years later I bit into the first fresh fig in my life (a chicago Hardy) and went just as nuts as you seem to have with your new fig. And 4 years later they are still my favorite thing I grow…WOW they are good! Glad you found out!

BTW, I suspect @chikn 's remark about worms is based on how many of them appear (though not yours so much). Since a fig is basically an inside out flower, many of the “flower” parts in some of my figs do look just like small white worms. But its only an appearance, it isn’t really worms. The only bugs I ever see inside my figs are tiny little black beetles, and they are easy to see. So don’t worry!

1 Like

Excellent info thanks. That’s too bad about the lateness, Craven’s Craving is late too, but I do get some figs, if I can get some, I would be happy. If not, I will keep it to sell cuttings to westerner’s not concerned about lateness.

Interested to know if that Medici fig ends up needing pollination. One person bought thinking that the pics were taken in FL.

You’d better keep a close eye out for pests also, the listing portrayed a wild tree in decline. There were borer holes in the stump and they could have been the cause for the top dying in the first place.

1 Like

I love figs, dried or fresh, fresh ones look infected with worms, sorry.

The buyer is respected and has introduced many figs here, at least according to some on f4f, so thought worth taking a chance. (25 bucks, no postage) Seems to be the standard price. It will not be near any other figs until April. All my figs are in cold storage in the garage. Yes, they are not her pics. I saw that they were from Italy, so you could be right. I researched the fig and found the original seller auction.
Before I knew about the scammers, I bought a fig from them. It was supposed to be Lebanese Red Bekaa, and it turned out to be a Celeste type fig, it’s very good though and a great grower.
I did get a real Bekaa off a known grower. She did say she tasted the figs, so I hope the trust that forum gives to her is true. Live and learn, I have many degrees from the school of hard knocks.
Next year if all goes well I’ll send you a plant! I still owe you!
Thanks for the heads up, you are a straight up, no nonsense kinda guy, I like that a lot about you
Thank you for the warning,

Not the first to say that! Well I have SWD and I also read an article that PA and MI too have since 2012 been catching the African fig fruit fly, yet another invader. I have eaten many SWD worms, taste like chicken! :relaxed::upside_down:

1 Like

Looked like Bourjassotte Grise to me. What do ya think, Brent?

Everything else does too!!:laughing:

I’ve had fresh local figs from at least 3 sources (including my own Hardy Chicago) and wasn’t impressed. I forgot the 3rd earlier (a co-worker’s father), whose figs were the best of the 3 (rising above just edible, but not as sweet as the window grown one).

I looked at some pics and their insides also seemed much darker.