In the thread that is linked below,  I have reported on an unknow fig that I have discovered growing in South Louisiana. 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. Therefore, I am now introducting the Black Beauty 10 fig in all her glory to this fig forum.

Pictures of this unknow's fig-fruit are contained in the following link:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5395455



Below you will find pictures that I took a couple of weeks ago of the mother tree.

Enjoy........

Any thoughts on origin?

I always try to trace the origin of the heirloom figs that I find.....at least to find out what country it came from. No luck with this one. The owner does not like figs at all. He bought the property from some previous owner who planted this tree.  I'm afraid the origin of this one will always be a mystery. The mother tree lives in Baton Rouge.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Oh well- Always interested in the history, especially for down south found figs. Looking forward to reports and trials.

It's at the top of my fig fantasy wish list. Can't wait until it becomes widely available, but I guess I'll have to! Let's hope the "10" also applies to its propagation & proliferation.

DAN,
That leaf pattern is amazing (I now know I am a foliage fanatic...ICE CRYSTAL, MORLEY---gotta love those leaves!).  The figs are gorgeous.  The BB10 is on my wish list also.  It was put on my list when I read what you had posted about it, just describing the taste of the fig, the rating of a 10.   It is on my MUST HAVE list.  Hopefully we can learn more about this fig as time passes.  Such history, potentially lost.  But great find Dan!!!  Keep up the figgin-great work.  (wanted to say friggin-great..but couldn't pass up on figgin-great!)

Sara

Have the same exact leaf pattern as my Noire de Caromb's leaves.


Navid.

I have a very young Noir De Caromb fig in my collection that is still in a trade gallon pot. Should be able to make a side by side comparison one day. H2 believes this cultivar may be Katleen's Black or related to it. At least that is what he thought before I was able to take these pictures of the mother tree. I do not have Katleen Black in my collection, so I do not know.  Not sure anyone knows the ID of this fig at this time. Time will tell.......  

With so many immigrants settling in Louisiana over the years, this fig could have come from anywhere. All I know for sure at this time, is that is a very good tasting fig and a high performance fig. It make take awhile, but I am confident that many of you will eventually grow this fig. I personally waited quite a few years, spent some money, and burned a lot of gas & time to find this cultivar.

Will be going back to check on the mother tree several more times this summer. And I will advise forum members when cuttings will be availabe on eBay this fall.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Interesting Navid:Gene Hosey, in Washington DC,also stated that his Kathleen Black(local find),is Noire de Caromb, In the description of Kathleen Black on his site.
And  he made  this description,about 5 years ago.

http://eastcoastfigs.com/

Im new in here, Hope to enjoy this forum

Dan, from the outside, your Black Beauty 10, looks a lot like 

I must agree, this fig does look like Gene's KB. I have never tasted a Kathleen's Black fig. I have tried to root one twice and failed. IMO, it was because of the quality of the cuttings. They were not quite linified. No one's fault. I have absolutely no doubt that KB is a must have cultivar. Too many people who have calibrated tongues love this fig.

I grow and have tasted well over one hundred different fig varieties myself......and have visited and tasted figs all over South Louisiana too.  I know good figs and I study them in great detail.  Up until this find, Col De Dame White was the best tasting fig that I have ever eaten. That is a top rated fig over in Europe.....and I fully understand why. It is a very rich and complex tasting fig. So, is BB10.

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. But I will continue with my fig hunting.....looking for those other great tasting heirloom figs that I KNOW are still out there somewhere in South Louisiana. Louisiana has always been a melting pot of different cultures. Many immigrants have brought some really good figs with them when they settled in my area.  If I never find another better tasting fig than this one, I will still be quite happy and pleased with this find. It took me YEARS to find it........and the funny thing is........I found it completely by accident at a time when I was not looking and did not have pruning shears nor a camera with me at the time. Geaux figure.......

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kenvinlee89,

Welcome. If you love to talk figs......you have found the right site!!

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Herman,

I don't have the KB in my collection so I can not say if they are the same fig or not. I'll post a pic or two of my NDC'c leaves, latter today.




Alan,

Are you talking about me? If so, you should realize there are people out there who have jobs and responsibilities other than talking about figs. I don't check the site every few minutes to see who said what or if I have to reply back to someone, I have many other priorities than the figs.

Please refrain from talking behind others.


Navid

Alan was not being critical. He was only questioning how certain Gene H. was about his KB being the "exact" same fig as Noir De Caromb. It remains, that it is quite possible that Kathleen Black, Noir De Caromb, and Black Beauty 10 are three distinct cultivars. That is how I intrepreted Alan's post. No concrete determinations have been made up to this point.

Keep those boxing gloves in a drawer...... (;>). And please do post those pictures when you get a chance. We are all trying to learn more about these three great tasing figs.

Dan
Semper Fi-csu 

Dan, you always come up with some winners to tease us with.  Black figs really appeal to me.  I was sitting here trying to figure out why.  The description of the taste of many are enticing.  The color of the outside and then when one is cut - the burst of beautiful juicy colors inside are eye candy.   I tried to recall how those black figs felt in my mouth and on the tongue - how the juice felt dripping down my chin.  And then I hit on the reason - its the alluring appeal of the unknown.  I thought back and I am an innocent and unknowing Fresh Black Fig (FBF) celibate!  Other than some dried black mission figs, I have not had a FBF to the best of my recollection.  I have been deprived!  I am up in arms, I am besides myself!  Its time for action (Martin Action - that is!).  .My wife gave me permission to plant a couple more figs in the yard - I think I'll go FBF!  Yes my community garden trials will have FBF, but I want some close at hand, so I can baby them, oogle them and coddle them as they grow.  I feel like I haven't lived and my Uncle used to tell me "if you ain't busy living you're busy dying!"

                     Warning - philosophical adjunct ahead - Warning

I'm a bit of a creative guy, I like to make things (big part of becoming a contractor), I like to make art.  Often creative people are driven by demons than make you want to create.  Creative people wonder why these demons choose us, but we are usually too busy to wonder why for too long  It seems we haveta keep busy or those demons start telling us to do wild things!  Going to work for us is akin to being in an asylum, confined - and those demons wreak havoc with our minds.  Work doesn't employ our minds.  After weeks, months, years of work confinement, the thoughts of the busy world grow faint.  As prisoners to work, we sit and dream a lot and often ponder over our seemingly hopeless fate of uninspiried drudgery.   So between work drudgery and a sharply busy life at the house, there are things that have just passed by me.  Eating a FBF is just one.  That's life - it happens while you are busy making and doing other plans. 

Everybody gets to a stage when it's time to move on. I've read enough about FBF, I've seen enough of those alluring pictures - I gotta grow some!  But heck, I need to eat one first.  I thought a lot about this last weekend while fishing.  Yes, I do fly fish. And after years of wetting a line, I think there is a connection between thinking and fishing.  Its probably because a fly fisherman spends a lot of time up to our waists in water without a whole lot to keep your mind busy.  Maybe that is why I like it so much - escapism.   I have a number of friends that I'm sure think that while fishing or painting, or carving, etc.... I am busy doing nothing.  But when doing "nothing" the idea of doing anything , always leads to something.  It cuts into the nothing and then forces me to have to drop everything and do something.  I vow to never be figless again - especially FBFless.  So many figs - so little time!

Whew,  I have to go back into my little hole now and play with my numbers!

Yes Navid Please post pixes,as detailed as you can,to make my own opinion if Kathleen Black is Noire de Caromb or not.
I am not going to Pass Judgement on Black beauty 10,I only want to see a detailed pix of Noire de Caromb.
I was looking in the past on pixies from France but they are not clear and do not show details of leaves very well,so That is why we need your pixies.
Thanks anticipated.

Look at post 11 and enlarge 2nd picture
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4824505
Oxankles is unknown to him.

As posted in this thread showing different shape leaves and other shape leaves in link below of same plant
  http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5395455

 i would rule out thread title -PossiblyFMV Free Black Ischia (??) fig Discovered in 

Perhaps this plant is in the bordeaux/negronne family of figs

Dan -- Hope you have a back up plant in a non hurricane state or somewhere. It would be a great loss if something happens to this good find. So far few plants are rated a 10.  Now we have another.

Hurricanes usually fizzle out before they get here.....HEHE

Dan,

Them gloves always hang on my wall, not in the drawers :)



Alan,

I must misunderstood what you had said. I apologize for that.
BTW my offer of Pom cuttings are still available to you at no cost. Just send me an email.


Navid

Alan,


English is my fourth language, so sometimes I have some problems too. Also, I moved here eight years ago, so I do understand what you are saying. No problem at all.


Navid.

One other very important characteristic of Black Beauty 10 that I forgot to mention......it DOES NOT have FMV.  Early ripening, rain tolerant, absolutely delicious tasting figs, beautiful leaves, and no FMV.........Miss BB10 is a class act all the way!! I'm betting that Black Beauty 10 fig will give Black Madeira a run for her money. Black Madeira is a LATE season fig and often hampered with FMV. Time will tell..........

I've taken summer cuttings from the mother tree and have quite a few fig babies on the way......no way am I going to lose it to one of those pesky hurricanes. It took me many years to find her and her cuttings will be out for distribution in the fall.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Alan,

I rooted many summer cuttings this year and found out some very interesting things along the way. I've been rooting some on my east facing window sill where they are in direct sunlight for 4 hours per day and they seem to love it. Will soon have a thread going on one particular method I have been using to root those summer cuttings. I still have a lot of experiments to conduct before that method is optimized to my satisfaction....however, am ready to post for discussions.  It is very easy to do. Were I a fig tree salesman, I definitely would root many of my figs using summer cuttings too. Right now I only use the method to root summer cuttings that I take from trees that I find during one of my fig hunts.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

FYI.....those summer cuttings CAN still make their own food through photosynthesis since their internal pipeline was not interrupted like in the case of a dormant cutting. IMO, that is what makes such a BIG difference. Summer cuttings have way more reserved energy and renewable energy reserves (from photosynthesis) with which to grow those new roots and leaves. Not having to re bulid that internal pipeline helps to speed the process along too.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus