Palermo Rosso 2020

[Vitooch1]

So here’s my first year palermo fig. I’m kinda of sad about it because I was excited. It started swelling a few days ago and it was ready with no sap, I feel like I under judged the perfect time to pick it. I thought if I let it hang for another 2 days in the heat it would just be perfect 👌 and it wasn’t. I cut it open and found a little bit of mold in the center, I’m not sure if the heat we had for the past weeks had anything to do with it. Anyway out of the two the small one was ok. It really didn’t have any taste to it. I was disappointed with the taste it was just bland, hopefully as it matures it will be a good tasting fig. The ripening was 84 days. Check it out.

[ginamcd]

If it's a typical Palermo Red/Sal's Corleone type, then this is extremely early for main crop. My father in zone 6b MA barely gets most to ripen without a good head start before weather gets colder. My tree here in 6a did get a little bit of a head start and the figs have not even started swelling yet.

Aside from the color they don't really appear ripe which could explain the lack of flavor. And in the photo with the two hole figs, it looks like the one in front might have a hole in it...? Was that, by chance, the one with the bit of mold?

Wait for skin cracks and wrinkles if you have any more coloring and see if they improve.

[Vitooch1]

ginamcd they did look soft and ready to be picked, it also had no sap. One of them was perfect looking in the inside but just didn’t have any taste. I didn’t take a photo of the little one because my daughter gabbled it down. It had head start in the greenhouse and it formed figlets at the beginning of June. At least I know if i wake it in May and pinch it by June I’m able to ripen some figs from it.

[jrdewhirst]

Vitooch1 -- The Palermo Red family is quite large, so many forum members would have experience with it.

I used to grow Weeping Black, one member of the family. From that experience and widespread reading, I can tell you for sure that the pictured fig is far (maybe 3-4 days) from ripe. A ripe Palermo Red main crop fig would be much darker, with wrinkled skin and red flesh. Maybe it was soft because of damage. The eyes are open, which can admit insects and mold.

Gina is right that the Red Palermo main crop is late. Last year (before I gave it away), it produced a first ripe fig here on 9/16. In Z5 Ontario, without a head start, it should be later (i.e., too late). But with a head start -- and figlets in early June -- you should do better. My time to ripen last year -- figlets to ripe -- was 85 days. So your 84 days is about right -- but could be longer. FWIW, my 1st fig spent 4 days between mere color (similar to yours) and ripeness.

Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure that without the damage, you could have had a ripe fig in a few more days.

p.s. One other possibility -- Palermo Reds are good breba-producers. Are you sure that the figs you saw in June were main crop?

[Vitooch1]

Good to know, I had the tree in a indoor tent all year long, now I’m starting to wonder if it were brebas. The growth lobes were really tight so I couldn’t tell if it’s a breba or main. I do have a few more to ripen on the same tree will see how they look. I’ll keep it posted.

[Vitooch1]

This is the palermo red tree where those figs came from.

[TorontoJoe]

Vitooch1 . Don't give up on that one. It'll take it more time for the tree to hit it's stride and start producing good figs reliably. They are good figs.

Pazienza e la virtu dei forti

[Vitooch1]

TorontoJoe Pazienza che lo, mi ingazzo quando la frutta no è buono. Lol 😂

[acerpictum]

Infructescence / syconiums damaged at the end of the second stage by a pest or mechanically ripen faster than others. Because at the end of the second stage, the ripening of the seeds is completed - the real fruits of the figs. In such fruit, the amount of ethylene, a hormone that stimulates ripening and shedding of fruits, greatly increases. All the accumulated starch does not have time to turn into sugar and the taste of the fruit is bad or the fruit is inedible.

[Vitooch1]

Just picked a new fig from my palermo rosso. Much better in taste. I noticed you can’t leave this fig too long or else it starts to mold. Here’s a perfectly ripe one I picked. For me It had a jammy pear taste according to my taste buds 😊

[TorontoJoe]

Looks way better than the first one for sure. Lighter colour than I thought. I don't have this one. Good work.

[Vitooch1]

I can’t wait till it matures. The young tree is loading up with figs as it’s growing. I can only imagine next season. I’ll see if I can get you cuttings or air layer next season.