NH Fig Plate

[drivewayfarmer]

Picked this plate of figs to share with a friend from France.
Varieties are Ronde de Bordeaux , Hardy Hartford , Fioroni di Ruvo, Takoma Violet ,Genovese Nero Not , O'Rourke , Malta Black , Marseilles Black,
Atreano.
More varieties are coming in , but they couldn't fit on the plate or maybe I ate them.
Late August and September and some of October are good fig harvest times in NH.

[DaveL]

Fit for a king, or maybe a Pope!

[GregMartin]

Beautiful pics Kerry! Your friend from France must have been thrilled.

[zone5figger]

That is a very nice plateful, thanks for sharing!

[Chrisk]

Awesome pics Kerry,thanks for sharing. Which ones have those long stems and how is their flavor?

[CajunB]

Beautiful plate of figs,I will use it as background on puter..........

[mountainfigs]

Wonderful. Come on, what was the French take on all those Italian figs?

Were the Ruvo figs breba?

[don_sanders]

Looks like a nice selection.

[Hershell]

Nice figs indeed Kerry.

[newnandawg]

Nice harvest Kerry

[cis4elk]

Yes sir, that is a good looking plate of figs.

[drivewayfarmer]

Dave , I'd be happy to share with the Pope ,send him up.
Chris , the long stems are O'Rourke and their flavor is very good , a favorite of my MIL who grew up on Celeste.
mountainfigs , those were di Ruvo main crop.
Greg and mountainfigs , our French friend couldn't make it until tomorrow so we ate those that couldn't wait and will pick more to make up for those.
She'll get Scott's Black ,Valle Negra , Unknown Negretta, Osborne's Prolific , Neveralla, and Nero 600m as well as all of the others mentioned above.
But I'm sure she'll say RDB is the best.

[Chrisk]

Thanks Kerry. I got to taste them at the LSU field day but i did not remember the long stems. I was too overwhelmed jumping from tree to tree they day!!!! I know that they were one of the better tasting figs out there and although I took a bunch of cuttings ,only two little ones have survived and as long as they make it this winter I'll be more than happy.

[jmaler]

The pic would look nice on your wall. Very impressive.

[fitzski]

Nice plate of figs. I look forward to the days when I can harvest a plate full of figs. Maybe in a couple years.

[Charlie]

Beautiful

[drivewayfarmer]

So our French friend made it here last night for the fig tasting.
Started her off with Takoma Violet , then Valle Negra and Nero 600m to see if she thought they tasted enough the same that they could be the same fig. Then Danny's Delight , Macool , Malta Black and a mix of others , then Ronde de Bordeaux.
Until she tasted the RDB , Takoma Violet was her favorite for its texture and particularly special favor , but when she tasted the RDB , she said : "that's it that's the one". I did not tell her the names of the figs until she made her comments so place of origin would hold no sway in her rankings.
She really took her time with evaluating each fig , more serious than I expected. Kept commenting that she couldn't believe she was eating this quality of fig in New Hampshire. And that they were the equal of any fig she eats when visiting family in Bandol in the south of France.
She enjoyed all the figs she tried but of the limited varieties of figs she was offered her rankings were :
Ronde de Bordeux
Takoma Violet
Valle Negra
Nero 600m
Malta Black
Then a cluster of others including Danny's Delight , MBVS ,Macool.
Of the 4 tasters none seemed to think that Valle Negra and Nero 600m were the same fig. Similar but not the same.
The Nero 600m had a thicker skin , different sweetness. Valle Negra came out ahead slightly for everyone.
Sent her home with a couple of dozen of her favorites and the Genovese Nero Not and Fioroni di Ruvo which we didn't sample with her.

[F. Bennett]

I enjoyed reading that, Kerry. I think it's neat to hear experiences like this. RdB is a little gem.

[Rui]

Kerry, that's a great review, very pertinent to my decision making...who to toss, who to keep.

If you don't mind, I'd love to know how you rank these varieties on consistency and productiveness.
I have most of these, though some were just started this year.
Did your RdB start producing at an early age? Say, as early as Takoma Violet?
I have to say, I agree with the assessment of Malta Black by your friend, as well as some of the members of the forum that reviewed it recently.

Do you happen to have a plant of Black Greek (Marius)? The skin is sweet, like a raisin!
If you don't (and would like to try it) I'd be honored to send you some cuttings for evaluation, along with some others including Figo Preto, which is finally putting on some real growth.

I'm dying with anticipation for RdB. I failed to root cuttings three times.
I finally gave in, and bought a live plant from Harvey last year. This year I had success with cuttings from Vasile. Finally!
Everything I read tells me that I need 10 plants of this variety growing on my property. Guess I'll be holding on to all those cuttings

[drivewayfarmer]

Rui ,
I think you are right 10 plants of RDB is a good idea. That is the way I'm heading too.
As I recall the RDB fruited early in its life as well as being productive. It is still ripening fruit here now , having been the first to start.
If fact all of the ones mentioned are consistent and productive .
I find for myself I'm beginning to enjoy more those figs with smooth , thin skin like RDB , Valle Negra , Vista , Nero 600m , etc.

[mountainfigs]

I find for myself I'm beginning to enjoy more those figs with smooth , thin skin like RDB , Valle Negra , Vista , Nero 600m , etc.

Only the Bordeauxs for Kerry! No kidding, I've been thinking the same thing this summer. In a certain way.

No cultivar seems like it can replace the Mt Etnas for in ground growing in cold zones, and maybe not even for productivity in pots in cold zones.

However, the "smooth, thin" skin that Kerry refers to on the Bordeauxs is strong.

• Its strength keeps it smooth.
• Its strength keeps the fig's shape.
• Its strength keeps its texture, its firm feel.
• Its strength keeps its look, its solid color, blemish-free.

Though Ronde in particular might have some splitting issues, the Bordeauxs seem like figs that could ship far and wide and take a beating and last a considerable time, weeks even, and even if picked essentially well ripe.

Maybe caprified wasp "infected" Bordeauxs would spoil in a few days but wasp-free Bordeauxs? So there might be a huge advantage to not having the wasp go near these.

These strong skinners are figs you can give your neighbors without any qualms about shape. And possibly about keepability.

Whereas the Mt Etnas are often, if not always, too weakly thin skinned, also Improved Celeste and O'Rourke, and many others including the most productive ones. LSU Purple skin seems fairly strong for being so thin but not as strong as the Bordeauxs.

Brooklyn White is an interesting case. Its skin is not as strong, or shape-holding, as the Bordeauxs, however the pith between the pulp and skin is thicker, adding strength, and the skin itself seems strong enough. So it appears that Brooklyn White would ship well, and keep well enough at a sweet ripe stage.

Maybe. I'm never willing to keep figs around long enough to actually conduct any such tests.