In a local garden, I stumbled upon a huge figtree with yellow fruits. I was totally extatic, untill I bit into it. It was like cardboard. Can anyone, based on my not too sharp photo, taken after the fruits rotted, sorry, tell me if it is a caprifig ? - so potentially could be used to manually pollinate my fig varieties ?
 

They look rotten. You ate one that looked like that ? You a brave soul lol ;)

fighugger,

IMO it's an edible fig .
The smashed fig on the first picture shows a portion of its pulp with half ripen female flowers as well as a few fig seeds. The leaf contours may eventually help to find its variety... Brunswick ..Vashon ..??
Other members specialized on 'figs from the cold' .. may chime in to help.

Francisco
Portugal

Thanks Lampo and Figpig. Well Figpig, pardon me, but unlike a pig, I don't wallow in rotten figs and eat all and everything! :) - like my text said, the photo was taken long time after tasting them, after they rotted. Lampo, thanks for your bid, but I think what I have to do is to watch the tree next year, and take some sharp macro photographs at the right time, and submit these to the scrutiny and collective experience of the Forum. Trust me, it's not an edible variety, at least not under our climatic conditions. My own guess is its a seedling plant. But is it a caprifig or a fig needing caprification, or just one that needs a longer growing season ? Next summer I will also dissect some figs and look for pollen.I gave the nice lady who owns the tree a healthy fruiting figtree to plant in her garden, so I think I will be allowed to make regular inspections of the mystery figtree.

Giving people a fig tree is such a great way to make friends, and I know many of my fellow posters discovered this joy. Heck Figpig, I'd even give you a figtree, and make friends with you ! I love figtrees, and I like people who like figtrees ! Thats why I call myself Fighugger!

If you add a location and zone to your sig we can do a better job of helping you.

Good point, will do !

I the meantime I can tell you I am in a small island in Southern Scandinavia. No Polar Bears though, we are Z8, and with a climate that resembles the PNW. Mild winters mostly, and cool summers, but rather dry, and sunny, though rainy weather can persist in some seasons. Our only hope figwise are the early and abundant breba croppers. English Brown Turkeys are the staple fig tree here (Practically the only one known), and they can become huge 5 meters tall, with big trunks, trees you can climb in ! Figtrees only freeze here if you plant in the hollows in the landscape.  We can harvest hundreds of breba figs on one tree, and they are totally mature. The late season ones often starts to dry on the tree, if your tree is in a well drained soil and sheltered position. I finish the drying in the oven. So I have a big old jar of dried figs to comfort me thru the dark and figless months ahead ! and the freezer is full too ! I have started to test other varieties, and so far White Marseilles and Longue d'Aout brebas also ripen well here in August-September depending on weather. Unfortunately White Marseilles is a shy bearer for me. Last year Ronde de Bordeaux set figs for the first time, and ripened well thru October, but last year was exceptionally warm and with a long growing season. I do not expect any main crop figs to ripen here regularly, unless you plant it in a greenhouse situation. But I do believe we can find a number of breba varieties that can ripen well here. My goals are to extend the season in both ends, into July with early brebas and into September-October with late brebas (though they would have to ripen in cool weather then). Also I would like to find a good yellow-skin breba variety and a good green-skin breba variety and, and, and,,,,,,,,

Michael, 

Had taken Aaharus as you hypothetical position for evaluation of your yearly weather averages to better understand your environment. Being that influenced by the Atlantic, with the precautions you indicated, you seem to be ok to  grow most figs.
As for the lady's fig you right deciding to closely watch developments and take pics and notes as time goes.

Here, any caprifig will show now the leaves turning yellow and falling to the ground like any other edible  but on most of these caprifigs there will be fruit.
These figs are most probably the first  generation of the Mammoni crop and some may look ok for a bite! The following pictures were taken last Sept 9th.

 
 
 


The Mammoni has always some female flowers, normally not very many but on certain occasions a good deal of them   which being pollinated by wasps coming from Profichis, turn ripe and mix up with the galls containing the developing wasps
On the third picture the fig is not yet fully ripe, the wasps are still inside their capsules (galls) and in the middle of edible fig pulp..
On the fourth picture most of the insects have  already left the syconium

When the time is right (February) I may send you a few Lampeira Preta/Branca scions for your trials.
Here, Lampeira Preta brebas ripen by mid May and could do well on your grounds. You could even share some with the fig lady to graft on her big tree.. what do  you think ?
Believe we do not have those problems with inspectors knocking at doors!?

Francisco
Portugal

Dear Francisco,

Muito obrigado !

Thanks for your contribution, The photos are very interesting. That fig looks very edible. I will continue to observe the ladys fig tree not least out of curiosity.

Francisco, I would absolutely love to test Lampeira preto from you !  My memory of eating the best fig of my life, is still a fig I bought in a market in Portugal, in the middle of the 1980-ties. I was there in July, and the fig was huge and green, with a more flat than turbinate shape, maybe 200 grams (as I remember it, memory is not always correct). I don't remember where I bought the figs, but I traveled both in the north and south from Porto to Algarve. This fig, eaten on a holiday was the decisive fig of my life. Since then I have loved figs. I know I will not be able to grow figs exactly like that, but to test and grow your Lampeira Preta from Portugal would complete the fig circle for me !

Just as a curious note on the climate here in my small island far north of Portugal, Francisco, I can tell you that I grow both Quercus suber, Quercus ilex and Laurus nobilis in my garden, and my hedge is Prunus lusitanica - all plants that originate in Your corner of Europe. I don't raise pigs under my cork and stone oaks, but the acorns of stone oak are ripening now, and I sow new ones every year.

Francisco, If at all possible for you, I would prefer if you harvest, and ship the cuttings to me much earlier in the season than you normally would prune a fig tree. This is because while both yours and mine garden is in a mild location near the Atlantic, the poor cuttings have to travel thru mainland Europe, and you never know if the postal service will leave them on the concrete floor in some unheated warehouse or they will spend the night in the back of a truck in some truckstop with only schnitzel on the menu. And winter generally could begin in Central Europe anytime from now on, though normally it is safe to send plants until November, maybe even December. When the cuttings arrive, I will simply plant them deep in the ground immediately and mulch them with a bit of soil, and they will be safe even if we get a hard winter in Europe.

I will try to send you a mail or pm.

Hi Fighuger,
What did the lady say about her figs ?
Are they dark or light (yellow, I got it after second reading) ? Does the tree make one or two crops ?
Does she eat them ? Did she say they are sandy inside ? Not edible ?
Did you eat them fresh (cardboard -ok  but that can be form the weather)? Were they good tasting (cardboard is no good I guess)? Had they dust (pollen) inside ?

I've seen here a tree resembling that one in the photo. The figs are dark and rather small and lots of fruits fell ripe and Grey under the tree.
I couldn't find a reason for that except if the tree had too many fruits and the owners wouldn't eat them all.

Manual pollination of fig fruits ... I would forget about that plan. But that's me.

Michael,

Thank you very much for these interesting news

Nice to hear about your visit to Portugal and the introduction to figs, probably a breba from a black Lampeira

I was far from hearing that Q.Ilex and sister Suber could grow and fruit on your Island
Congratulations !

Until Half a century ago on the rural fairs and open farm markets of the Central/South of Portugal by the month of November when Ilex acorns are swollen and ripe we would buy and  eat them,  many times inside a dry black fig...this making a delicious combination. ... but those were the days!

I shall make arrangements for the Lampeira sticks to be sent soon to make sure they shall avoid the coming cold days through their transit

May be the fig you ate back in the 80's was similar to these brebas

 
 

Francisco
Portugal

HI JDS,

yes, yellow, definitely not edible, she never had a ripe one. We have not noticed pollen but next year I will follow the yellow fig closely, and take some more photos along the way. And look for pollen, if not for any other reason,  for interest.

When I have more data, I will post about this fig again. Thanks for input.

Hi Michael,

You are probably right. Your best best are some good Brebas, like the one Francisco is sending you - Lampeira Preta is one of the best (if not the best) we have in Portugal.

Nevertheless, if Ronde de Bordeaux as matured for you in October i wouldn't rule out other figs with early crops (August and early September). You may get lucky and the choice is almost unlimited.

Regarding pollination - as you seem to have a caprifig, you can always experiment. Keep us posted.

Wow, very nice!  Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge and photos, Francisco.