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Bajtar ta San Gwann

Okay, I have spent the last year trying to track down this variety. I've asked my friends and tried ordering it from several places. Just got shot down by Jon as well. Still don't have it! Is there anyone that has any cuttings for sale of this? I would be thrilled to pay for them no problem!

what exactly is unique about this one?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bullet08
what exactly is unique about this one?


It's hard to pronounce! ;)

It's a very old and popular fig I believe in Malta? I will be able to tell you about it's uniqueness IF I am able to get cuttings and try it for myself one day.

"Bajtar Ta' San Gwann" (G with a dot) is the Maltese name for one breba-fig
very popular in Malta; loosely translated as "St. John's Breba".

Its main crop is known as "Tin Ta' San Gwann" (St. John's Fig).

There are two variants,  one dark and one light; both being of the San Pedro type.

I know that it is a very good fig, but since the main crop requires caprification,
it may be best suited for California (b/c fig-wasp) and the PNW (b/c breba).

This is NOT the same fig as St. John (Gillette)!

Here is what J. Borg had to say in his olde 1922 book
 
https://archive.org/details/cultivationdisea00borgrich

page 141:

12. The ST. JOHN'S FIG (M=tin tal baitar, tin ta San Giuan.)
The tree is vigorous and grows to a large
size ; the leaves are broad and well-lobed. This variety
produces regularly two crops. The early crop, (M =baitar
ta San Giuan ; Italian =fioroni) usually very abundant,
comes out along with the foliage and matures in May-
July. These early figs are very large, short-stalked,
top-shaped, greenish brown without any netting. The
flesh is of a light pink colour, watery, melting and sugary
and of good flavour. The main crop is equally abundant,
but the fruits are very flattened and very short-stalked,
and are valuable only for drying. The early figs are not
caprificated, but the main crop cannot do without this
operation. The St. John's fig is very largely planted,
being perhaps our most common type of fig-tree, the
early figs being much appreciated by all classes of the
people. A sub-variety exists producing figs, of both
crops, of a greenish white colour, but in other respects
is identical with the type.


Thank you very much Gorgi.

gorgi, do you have this one? with fig trees having the beetle issue in malta, your collection should be a great way of preserving maltese figs.

I wonder what Jon's source(s) was/were ?!?
BTSG:
Accession No. 0094
Accession No. 0588

That is the million dollar question.

Here are some pics of one (light) BTSG main-crop fig-fruit that I encountered.
The owner seemed to be a very well fig-informed old-fashioned small-scale farmer.
Beside telling me the fig-name, he also told me that his tree was caprified that year.

Do I have it? Honestly not sure; but I know exactly where the mama tree is...

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That is some beautiful fig. I didn't know there was a light and a dark but it makes sense.

And they tasted yum, yum too.

That's one nice looking fig!

Tami, Good luck getting this variety. Hope to see pictures when you get some ripe figs.

Thanks Art, If the time it's taken me so far is any indication, I may have a few more birthdays before I get one. LOL

Javajunkie,
R U still looking?

Love you for thinking of me Michael but one more fig right now may push me over the edge I'm teetering on. Wanna trade in the fall?

Sure, why not.

Native de Argentile?

Being of Maltese and Sicilian descent, I would love to trade for these or any other figs from this area.

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