Dan's Black Beauty 10

[CajunB]

BB10 small to medium black fig with a closed eye.......... mild sweet taste with lingering melons overtones.It definitely lives up to it name .

[Dave]

good looking fig enjoy it!

[GregMartin]

Have you gotten to try yours yet Dave?

[kingoceanos]

Very nice looking fig.

[AscPete]

Thanks for sharing the photos and info,
and its also a mid-season ripening fig...


Also may require heavier than normal fertilization due to large leaves and healthier growth.
The 1st photo shows some older very large nutrient deficient leaves with necrotic spots.
Added photo of a fig and large leaf on 10" dia. plate for scale...

[don_sanders]

Is this the cutting line?

That's cool that you were able to grow this one. Haven't seen much about it other than a few old threads. Is this the first time for it to fruit for you?

[GregMartin]

I'd like to take a number!

[CajunB]

Actually its an early fig........this is the second main crop this year

[AscPete]

in your zone...

[cjccmc]

Brian, did Celeste make a second crop this year also? My Celeste never does and I'm getting more interested in figs that consistently make second crops.

[Atlatl]

Is the second main crop a mamme crop? Do you have the wasp in LA?

[WillsC]

It grows fast. BIG leaves.

[Zuny]

That is one large leaf.

[CajunB]

The fig tree is very young and it produced a couple figs early summer,it grew a lot this summer and produced a large second crop............

[tinyfish]

A very nice fig and an early one.

[tsparozi]

Nice looking.... Wondering how it would do in north east... Anyone else have experience with it in NE?

[COGardener]

Tony, only about 4 or 5 people have it at all to the best of my knowledge.

But don't worry, a good thing is rarely contained and it will start getting out soon I'm sure.

[Hershell]

While everyone's bragging! Thanks Brian!

[WillsC]

Thanks Brian?

[Hershell]

And Wills. Dang that hurt

[Rewton]

Wow, this is like a unicorn sighting! I'll look forward to more reports. I think there was a time when people (based on Dan's description I think) were speculating it might be the same as Kathleen's Black but it doesn't look like it from these pics.

[WillsC]

Here is mine.

[Taverna78]

Oooohhhhhhuuuuuuuuuu😍

[COGardener]

Watch out Wills, Mike is in route to hijack your tree!!!

[Altadena Mara]

BB10 small to medium black fig with a closed eye.......... mild sweet taste with lingering melons overtones.It definitely lives up to it name .

I don't want to sound critical, but doesn't that flavor describe 50% of the figs out there? What is so special about the taste? Is it really worth the $100+ dollars people are bidding for it? I'm trying to talk myself out of bidding for it on eBay now.

[WillsC]

Mara,

Flavor and looks aside as it is an amazing tree with HUGE leaves......I don't think a painting by Andy Warhol of a freaking soup can is worth 12 million, but it is. There was garlic being sold a few years back for $100 a head..........it is all supply and demand. There are not many plants and cuttings available and a LOT of people want them. Dan teased people with that tree and his description of it as the best fig ever while distributing it to nobody. I will keep my personal feelings on Dan out of this but he is knowledgeable. He tried hard to keep this variety to himself and now that it is out a lot of people are interested.

[Dave]

12 million thats a bargain if you ask me

[tsparozi]

Hey, any of you see the full wall Jackson Pollack at the NY Museum of Modern Art? It's a white blank wall! It supposedly is worth several million dollars... I look at it and see the inside of my own mind.... The soup can might be worth $12MM if it still had the original Campbell's in it... I guess the bottom line is that ANYTHING is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it; no more and no less... buyers set the market price....

[tsparozi]

What did the three most recent Ischia Black eBay auctions yield for the three cutting packages? I can't speak to the flavor of either and leave it to other more knowledgeable folks to provide that insight but the BB10's are bargain priced in comparison...

[don_sanders]

Some of Dan's comments about BB10:

"It is hands down the best tastiing fig that I have ever eaten. And I have eaten a lot of figs from many different fig cultivars.

I call it Black Beauty because it is an absolutely beautiful black fig. Add I call it 10 because, IMO, it rates a perfect 10 on the taste scale. Also, this is an "early season" (that is a VERY important fruiting characteristic) fig and it does handle the rains in my area quite well (very important as well). This one is a perfect 10 in all reagrds. "

"This fig (BB10) puts Hardy Chicago down to shame and I absolutely love my two Hardy Chicago figs!! I would never get rid of them......nor would I get rid or my Sal's, Dark Portuguese, Gino's, JH Adriatic, White Triana, Greek Green, LSU Improved Celeste, Holllier, Smith, GM#11, Native Black, Scott's Black, St. Jerome,St. Gabriel Black Late Black, English Brown Turkey, many Celeste, etc. etc. etc. I have tasted many more and do have a well calibrated tongue and palate as wll. This one is in another fig league and out of the park good. Not just some of the figs were good......all of them had that very special flavor that is hard to describe. Eat one of these figs and your taste rating scale gets re-calibrated.

What is so important about this particular fig is that IT RIPENS EARLY. This one should do well in a short growing season. Col De Dame ripens LATE IN THE SEASON. BLACK MADEIRA ripens late in the season. From what I observed on the mother tree, it handles rain quite well too. At this time, I have no accurate data about fig drop. When I found the mother tree, there were lots of figs both on the tree and on the ground. Like I stated earlier, the owner of this tree does not like figs.

It really is hard for me to imagine a better tasting fig. "

"No matter what this variety turns out to be, I can state emphatically that this large black fig is the best tasting fig I have ever eaten. Its flavor is better even than Col De Dame White......rich and very complex is the only way I know to describe it. This is definitely a dessert quality fig. I had no camera with me when I found the mother tree.....so no pictures of mom. Mom is about 15 feet tall and at least 20 feet wide. ...This fig is rain tolerant, no bugs, can dry on the tree, fruits shortly after regular Celeste starts friuiting, some pink colored leaf stems, skin cracks but DOES NOT split, has different eye sizes......all blocked, fig stems are stout and purple, meat stain is purple, and honey from very ripe figs is purple in color."

[don_sanders]

I do not. I believe he had a final melt down and kicked everyone off. I don't think he's opened it up again. It's too bad really.

[Kelby]

I've tried every archive and cache I can think of, but I can't find any way to recover his blog.

[TucsonKen]

Thanks for the info on Dan's blog closing down. I wondered what had happened when suddenly I could no longer access it, nor get replies to my emails. I thought maybe the problem was on my end, but I guess not. It's too bad. He has shared a lot of good information over the years.

[angelad]

BB 10 sounds like a very nice fig to have. Maybe one day it will make its way to Canada (just dreaming!)

[tsparozi]

I just checked and there are several cuttings offering on eBay slated for this week... It would be nice to end 2016 and start 2017 on a very positive note and win a package of this variety as well as acquire several others still on the wish list....

[Dave]

Gregmartin Have you gotten to try yours yet Dave?

Me BB10 I can't afford such an exquisite fig I'm just helping out a buddy sell some cuttings

[GregMartin]

Some day before too long I'm sure it will find it's way to you Dave. If I happen to get it before you I'll have you on the top of the list.

[Dave]

thanks greg your a good man

[Coop]

It's interesting as always.
I'm smelling this years "IT" fig

[quackmaster]

I sure hope my cuttings makes it!

[tsparozi]

Ryan... you could successfully root a Dixon Ticonderoga #3 without rooting hormone... :-)

[ross]

So.. I thought this was the same fig as Maltese Beauty (GM 155). Could fig names be more confusing? Just when I thought I had it all finally figured out, lmao!

[cis4elk]

Very doubtful, Maltese Beauty is one of Georges recruits from Malta. BB 10 is an unknown from Louisiana, Lord knows where it originated from.

[ross]

I was just going off the name! For some reason the word "beauty" made me think they were the same.

[HouFig]

Early season. Handles the rain well. Love's heat. Does not split. Blocked eye. Big beautiful leaves. Good producer. Rated a 10 on taste from a respected, veteran grower.

Cheers to Dan for discovering this cultivar. It is always exciting to see another legend come out of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. I am really looking forward to growing this in Houston Texas and possibly Mexico City.