Norella 2021

[eboone]

First fig of the year. It is one of just three plants I am keeping in am keeping in pots. There would have been two ripe a week ago but a female cardinal got to them first. This plant had a greenhouse head start by about 3 weeks

The fig was melting soft, extremely sweet, mild fruity flavor. Weight 32g

[Ktrain]

Very nice, do you keep it potted due to lack of cold tolerance?

[eboone]

No, to have earlier figs than if I just had plants in the ground

[Ktrain]

I see, good idea.

[Halligan-]

Looks awesome!

So glad my cuttings of Norela survived me this spring. I have dbl bumps now, we’ll see what happens

[JoePAFig]

That looks to be ripened perfectly, Ed.

[ZingsFigs]

Looks amazing, thank you for sharing with us

[JMF75]

Great looking fig Ed and I hope you get more than that cardinal 😁

[ginamcd]

Looks nicely ripened! Norella just returned to my collection by way of a gifted second year air layer from a generous fellow New Englander, and I was very happy to see it came sporting a handful of figs!

[WIFigger]

I'm really looking forward to this one. Mine grew crazy this year, 7+ feet tall with figs at every node. As long as they can ripen now.

[don_sanders]

I haven’t grown this one. Anything that sets it apart from other Mt Etnas?

[WIFigger]

Don, I have a couple that I practiced doing some cutting grafting to. If you want to try one and don't mind it's grafted you're welcome to one of them.

[don_sanders]

ginamcd WIFigger Thank you both. I think I’ll pass for now. Still trying to downsize, lol. And I have Malta Black and Sao Miguel Roxo along with several Mt Etnas. So far, I like the Salem Dark (better flavor), Sal’s GS (different flavor), and Fort Mill Park (excellent flavor last year). I have yet to taste Roxo, Kesariani, and Red Lebanese Bekaa. Takoma Violet has been my earliest so far ripening with RDB this year ion 08/01. Which Mt Etna fruits first seems to vary for me each year. Everything seems really early this year. Every Mt Etna sets a fruit on every node for me.

[ginamcd]

don_sanders it's easy to get over run by Mt Etnas! I too have Malta Black and Sao Miguel Roxo, but the fact that Norella was from Calabria made me want it. I have MBvs which is a bit less intense than the others, but still very good. And then there is HC which was grown from a cutting off my very first fig tree (RIP), so it will always have a spot in my collection. Unknown Abington is limping along in it's second year and has only set about a dozen figs, but I'll at least get to find out how it stacks up against the others. While I don't currently have Salem Dark, it's on the list given reports of it being among the earliest of the Mt Etnas. And this year I may actually get to find out what all the fuss is over RLBV!

[eboone]

don_sanders
It has been my earliest Mt Etna past two years. Flavor like others in the class, texture has generally been denser, though this one was not. It may have to do with watering…might need to cut back a bit

[drbud]

I grafted a cutting of Norella onto my in ground Celeste in April. Got a few big marble size figs on it that I hope will mature so I can try it this year. Looks like a good one!

[TorontoJoe]

You gave that a lot of hang time. I'm glad you got it before the critters.

[eboone]

Bird netting