Hey everyone TONYSAC here I was wondering this might be a dumb question but what is the difference between the two figs in the title im growing both and dont know if I should.

They are not really that similar. Sal's gene is an Etna fig which is productive when young. Sal's C is Sicilian and larger. The thing about them that is similar is the sweetness, which is very pronounced in both.

I always wondered that too!  Good question Tony, and good answer Brent!!

Suzi

Tony, in Zone 7 Southern New Jersey, Sal's C gave me 3 to 4 dozen breba from 2 trees, they
were a lot bigger than the main crop  and 10 times sweeter and great flavor. Trees are in ground
about 3 to 4 years old, it's a keeper.
Sergio in Cape May Court House.

Sals Gene from edible landscaping which i had also bought many years back compared to Sal C.

My "personal opinion" Sals EL. is like eating a Ribeye compared to Sals C. a  plain sirloin while both edible the ribeye reins superior.

In my climate near Chicago and all grown in containers Sals C. split easily while Sals from edible landscaping split once since 2003 and the 1 year it did split we had record rainfall over a weekend.
Sals C. was discarded.

As a side note  - Sals from EL. is not the same as a hardy chicago as they mention in my opinion.
My Sals from them and my hardy chicago from paradise nursery are different in taste yet similar in leaf to the untrained eye.
That subject was talked about in the past here.

Hey Tony, I hope you and the family are doing alright, and you made it through Sandy without too much issue.

So, here's my take on Sal Corleone (also called Sal C) versus Sal Gene (also called "Sal EL").

Sal C is slightly larger, about the size of a silver dollar.  The eye is somewhat open and they split like holy hell when it rains here in Atlanta.  The flavor is good, very juicy, fruity, only slightly figgy for me.  Light reddish interior.  Mild seed crunch.  LOTS of pulp, tender skin.  Fruit takes a purplish red flush and is more round, slightly rotund.

Sal EL / Sal Gene is smaller - slightly larger than a quarter.  The fruit doesn't split in rain, and the neck is more elongated than Sal C, Sal EL is definitely more teardrop shaped.  Dark, dark red interior, and they'll sag and droop and get all wrinkly when ready with sometimes a little skin cracking going on.  Mild seed crunch, dark berry flavors inside.  Very tender, thin skin.

Sal EL / Sal Gene is the real winner here for me, in my south/east coast climate.  I gave away my Sal C this year to a local member (these trees were going for upwards of $70-$150 on eBay 3-4 years ago, they were super hyped up).  I won't look back.

The only thing I'll say here negatively about Sal EL/Gene is this:  Sal C shows no impact from fig mosaic or other viruses.  Sal EL/Gene does.  I have noticed that whatever virus cocktail I have in my trees, it leaves blemishes and scars on the fruit of Sal EL/Gene, but has no effect on Sal C.  It doesn't make the fruit taste any worse, but ... when some people see blemished fruit, they aren't as excited to eat it.  Visual appearance is important to some people.  I honestly believe the scars/blemishes may happen less if the tree is planted in the ground.  I also notice that a LOT of "Mt. Etna" varieties have this problem of scarring - a few in my collection that do the same thing:  Bethlehem Black, Marseilles Black VS, Owensboro, Hardy Chicago.

Hope this helps!

Still don't get how people came to lump HC and Sal's EL.  But some do.

Thanks for all the replies I think its worth growing Im partial to dark figs im trying to go light/white but cant wait to get some fresh light/white figs ive yet to pick any of my unkowns