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Bianca Calabrese

Here's a fig I discovered in my neighborhood and taking a peek into the neighbor's yard. It is growing about 1000 ft from my house.
The tree came from Calabria region in Italy by my neighbor's parents. They called it White Calabrese didn't know the original name for it.
It has a very unique leaf pattern.
The fruit is large yellow. but I couldn't find ripe ones.
It reminded me of the Genoa Paradiso, but it's not exactly the same.



Very nice looking plant, those leaves are unique.

Brunswick like leaf? I have supposedly Osborne Prolific with similar looking leaf shape I won't know till it fruits hopefully Dec or early Jan if weather permits

Sal

Hi Bass,

I am interested in your post for 2 reasons...(1) my grandparents were from Calabria, and (2) I have a 2 year old fig tree than I think is IDENTICAL to your "Bianca Calabrese". 

My tree (see photos) was ordered from Petals from the Past, as an "Italian Honey Fig".  It arrived as a small (approx 12 inches high) well-rooted plant in good condition in May of 2008.  During the 2008 growing season it grew about 2 feet, but no mature figs.  This year I re-potted to a 3 gallon pot and it grew another 2 feet or so - the tree is now about 5 feet tall.  Still no mature figs.  It has about 20 hard green figs on it.

I live in Mountain Top, PA just south Wilkes-Barre, about 45 minutes north of your area.

I was always "suspect" of this tree being an Italian Honey, and corresponded with the seller who confirmed that my tree is what they consider to be an "Italian Honey".

Looking at your photos, the unripe figs look exactly like the figs on my tree - color, size and texture.

I also have two 10 year old "Italian Unknowns" and a 2 year old Improved Celeste that did OK, providing me with a good amount of ripe figs this year, considering the bad stretch of Spring, Summer and Fall weather we had.  I also have a few more 1 year old fig trees of various varieties that I'm experimenting with.  I'm in zone 5, but all trees are potted and keep in southern exposure up against my house, and brought into an attached garage for winter.

What do you think about my "Italian Honey Fig" tree?

Thanks,
Joe Grandinetti

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the leaves are very similar if not just like my Valle Negra. Also, my Paradiso, which is the same variety of paradiso as Giuseppe Morle at his nursery in Mass. I do not have his paradiso but ours is the same variety we call paradiso in Italy, the leaves are indeed similar but the paradiso leaf is more wavy or curvy I should say going down the middle finger leaf.  I don't think it is the Paradiso in my opinion, unless another, Calabrese paradiso. 

hello Joe,
your tree looks nothing like an Italian Honey. Joe Morle sells the paradiso Genoa that looks very similar to yours and mine and they're all from the same region. I guess we'll have to wait to see the fruit to make a closer comparison.
I heard you make some good wine.

Hi Bass, yes I guess we'll have to wait and see some ripe fruit (hopefully ripening time improves with this tree's maturity).

Thanks for the compliment on the wine - I'm sure you heard this through our friend Lou P.  I had the pleasure of visiting him a couple weeks ago.  He is a really great guy and he gave me some rooted cuttings of a tree originally from Calabria.

Curious to find out from what town in Calabria the Bianca Calabrese originates from..if you ever have opportunity to ask your neighbor I would appreciate it.  My grandparents were from Province of Catanzaro, neighboring towns of Soveria Mannelli and Decollatura.

Best regards,
Joe Grandinetti 

Calabrese?
Always heard there hard headed from many other Italians. 
Now i run fast !
 ; )

All in fun guy and gals but i always did hear that for some reason.

All the italians from Calabria I've met were so nice and generous. So do all Italians from all regions. As long as they love figs they are lovely people.

Testa Tosta!!!

Here is a leaf picture off my young Valle Negra.

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If Giuseppe Morle's paradiso is from Genoa, which it is,  Calabria is nowhere near the City of Genoa.  Northwest top ( Genoa )Liguria region. Region of Calabria,southwest IT, toe of the boot of the mainland.  Many miles between. What did you mean bass that they are all from same region? 

Nice pics of your Valle Negra George. 

Yes,  Calabrese are very beautiful people.

Maggie, sorry I should have done my research. I got confused with the other varieties that joe morle sells that are from Calabria.

Gorgi,
Valle negra looks interesting. I'm guessing by the name negra it's a dark fig?

OK: So now I'm confused. Why can't the same variant be growing in different parts of the world. If a cutting came from point A then that mother tree would be located at point A (correct) well then where did the mother tree come from? maybe point B  many hundreds of miles away (correct) Well then where did that grandmother tree come from ( possibly thousands of miles away correct. And how about great grandma, any way you see where I'm going. To say a variant is from one place or one special region or the original tree of this variant came from here is pure speculation I'm sure the Famous Sal's has an older relative living some where else and maybe that is where that came from and so on.
I picked Sal's because it was easy for me to spell and no other reason
If your cutting came from a certain place so be it that is where it is from, but that doesn't mean that is where that variant started or only exists
SAL

Joe,

 I am glad to see you are having success growing in the Wilkes-Barre area. I am originally from W-B but live in Allentown now.  My father has been growing an unknown in ground variety all my life in W-B but we only ever got fruit here and there.  I got him a potted tree this year from Bass and he is going to try that in a pot up there. I just read one of your older posts and you said that you recieved a tree from a Mr. Leo in W-B.  I believe he is my fathers neighbor.  My father always is talkng to me about Mr. Leo's tree and how well it does.  Does he live close to Meyers high school?  I am going to W-B in a week or two and going to hopefully get a cutting from him.

Pete

Martin, I have to admit that we Calabrese do seem to have "hard heads" (my wife - family from Bari - reminds me often)...but we have kind hearts!

Pete - The first fig tree I started growing was from Mr. Leo (yes he lives by Meyers HS), which he rooted from a sucker.  The tree is now about 10 years old.  I have it in a 25 gallon pot and have let it get about 6 feet high.  It is pretty productive, the figs are a little on the small side, but have a good sweet raspberry jam-like taste.  Our elevation in Mountain Top is about 1,600 feet and probably 5 degrees cooler than Wilkes-Barre.  When I first visited Mr. Leo back then, his main tree was huge - maybe 12 feet tall or so.  He explained to me how he meticulously wrapped it each Fall and how it provided him with many figs each year.  He's really a nice old gentleman, and has a nice garden and some other fruit trees that he takes great pride in.  Please get in touch if you are unable to see Mr. Leo, I will be happy to mail you some cuttings of the "Leo" fig tree - just email me at jmgrandinetti@msn.com

Take care,
Joe 

Sal, We were talking of two places before, Genoa and Calabria. Yes, you are very right about the fig being in one or more places, of course, thats how it got here to America.  But,,,,, as you know, figs are very much a part of Italian culture, and to understand that, you have to really understand us as a people, our economy and means of transport at that time.  Genoa was always a huge port town and traveled the globe, our poorer areas of Italy no.  I was born in the poor south ( South Central ), across from Roma on the Adriatic side.  We didn't travel to other parts of Italy much at the time when I was younger.   We had everything to live in our area.  The mountains, ect, and just the lack of money prevented many of us southerners from traveling.  We just didn't jump into a car and take a fig tree with us and plant it elsewhere.  When you have varieties especially from Napoli, or Genoa or Roma or Palermo or others, yes, those  merchants traveled the whole Mediterranean and took their trees and produce and fruits with them.These trees got distributed in many other parts of Italy.  Our areas along the coast, we had just small fishing boats to catch food for our immediate area and geographically, italy is darn hard to get around, back in Fig naming times.Riding in carriages with donkeys and the heat itself in our areas at times was hard to travel. Also you have to understand our need to have the best of everything in our immediate areas. Many Italians understand we are very regional people, and guard secrets very very strongly.Don't be surprised if in the south they even guarded their favorite fig trees, this happened in my own family orchards, even to this day. This comes from our Italic ancestors before there was an actual country called Italy.  The Italic tribes, only married amongst their own, usually within only the same province or town.  They did not travel to other parts because of warlike behaviors that they came across.  They didn't want any other tribe mixing and mingling with themselves.  My family was even a little skeptical when I married my husband who's Italian heritage comes from Puglia and Napoli.  They wanted me to find a nice Abruzzese boy, preferrably from my own province, but that didn't work out, and my husband is American born unlike myself. You are very right in yes, the same tree could be in other parts of the world we weren't disputing that, but when we name something, It generally stays especially a regional, town or city name, that is likely the origin of the tree.  Italy generally especially the south, they stay in their own areas, provinces ect and don't travel much except maybe on holiday or a special vacation, but generally want to remain where it is familiar and Home and where the family is, especially the older relations because we respect and revear Nonno and Nonna,  so if you have a Calabrese tree, it is likely from Calabria and until recently didn't really travel much outside of Calabria for the reasons I mentioned above.  The immigrant would have brought it with them to america or brazil or Argentina or Australia ect.  Genoa was much more of travelers and had the ability to disperse their trees. Today with transportation the  way it is, many fig trees are traveling all over you are right, but there is more to it than speculation.  This is as old as time itself and needs that respect.  If there was more respect for a varietal name then the name confusing thing wouldn't be going on now especially here in this country, especially with places like TyTy and Willis orchards helping to confuse things more. The word  "Distribution"  is very important with Italian fig societies and groups in Italia. This word today used in Italy,  would be where the tree originates and where it is common and where it is prevelent. If you were to tell someone of my region, I will only mention mine because that will keep conflict away, if you were to tell an abruzzesi that their trees from Abruzzi that was named for our areas and maybe was a mutation that made a whole new tree variety from Abruzzo that it was from somewhere else, you would have a fight on your hands literally. Now talk about Hardheads!!!!!!   Ciao Sal and much luck to you, I need to go whack snow off my fig trees now.  ciao Ciao     

Maggie,
was nice to read that post. Dad was from Bari on coast and never made it out of grade school , he used to go on a boat and fish to help feed the family. Anyways i know what you mean about the marriage part very well, i will never forget when i was about to get married to a gal from spain and grandmother told my parents she could fix me up with nice sicilian girl !
Oopsssss

Sal, hai un messaggio da me. Per favore, non c'era alcun bisogno di scusarsi, ci sono state solo parlando!!!!  Ciao Maggie

Hi Martin, thanks, I love ALL your stories. We're a funny race of people at times aren't we.  Is Spain were your wife is from?  How interesting, I think its great!!!!

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