Petite Negri, Black Mission NL and Smith (from left to right). I ate them in the following order: Black Mission NL, Petite Negri, and Smith. Petite Negri was better than Black Mission NL. Smith is in a different class (but not of its own because Socorro Black is also in the class) due to its acidity and unique flavor profile. Even after the strong taste of Petite Negri, the flavor Smith tasted right through it...similar to hearing Satchmo's trumpet or Sanders' saxophone or Monk's Piano or Hendrix's guitar; very distinctive.

Wow!

Mike  central NY state, zone 5a

P.S. 
        a) What is the "NL" in Black Mission NL?
        b) great to see another appreciator of jazz music.  (Do you play and/or write?)

ah, can answer my own question... just spotted your other post about NL...
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/black-mission-nl-2014-6997195?pid=1283605416#post1283605416

So I had been guessing it was someone's initials, and had gone through all the links of Sources from Jon's Black Mission page (in the Varieties section).  But I hadn't spotted any with the intials NL  (unless it's one of the few that are dead links now).

Anyway, great pics, great story.  I wish I had enough heat here to ripen Black Mission, but doesn't seem likely here in zone 5a.

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

JD, thanks for the beautiful pictorial.

Mike, you can keep Editing your own Posts, that way they will all be in one post :)

Nice photo's JD, i like the lined up cut pics. It sounds like you ate them in the right order, a taste experience that goes higher without a letdown. I'm glad to hear Smith is a " cut through" taste. I hope mine grows enough so I can taste it next year.

I had Mission NL but lost it. I got it because Jon said it was a standout in his mission collection.

Mike in Hanover, VA

Nice pictures and gorgeous figs !

Francisco

Pete,
Will you please share the source of this information?

JD: Very tasty figs and nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

Pete,
Thank you. I am thinking I should know that and now I do.

Jon V,
Thanks for maintaining the reference.

Lovin' that Smith fig JD!

Mike (NY),
No music playing or writing worth mentioning, however, quite a bit of listening and a decent collection of vinyl that I 'inherited'. My children play violin and piano. Thus a a parent, listening (a good ear) and knowing how to read music (with some modicum of confidence), is helpful.

Smith. Unbelievable. Getting some outstanding figs. Wife and daughter devoured these for Monday morning breakfast which means there were five figs in that open space in the corner (that were not photographed) and I had only one before they were gone.





Stallion. Ripens about 10 figs like this every three days. Without birds and now a squirrel (for breakfast, lunch and dinner), it could be twice that.



Unknown Foxcroft. This is a good Celeste. One of the two that I really like. Jam Ooh Jam. It ripens a bunch every two to three days. I bought a couple of air products (CO2) the Fig Protection Program armory.



Petite Negri. If not for Smith, Petite Negri would be the favorite of the 2014 season thus far.



 

Petite Negri and Malta Black. An unfortunate comparison for Malta Black which is a good fig. Petite Negri has a more intense flavor. It is also larger and 'jammier'. I prefer the size of Malta Black and I like its flavor profile which is different than Petite Negri. How? I do not know yet. I need more Malta Black.

In the first image, the top row of four Petite Negri were harvested at a 'just right' state before the rains came. The second row of Petite Negri were harvested at the same time but 'dead ripe', that is, two days 'older'. The second image compares the two different states of ripeness. And they are two different tastes due to the concentration of sugars as well as the maturity and intensity of the flavor. You can see how the pulp has bled into the skin/pith.

fantastic pictures! I can't even get my Smith to produce up here, guess that Florida heat helps alot

Thanks Barry. It took three years to get an already 18 month old 3+ foot tall tree to produce those figs here in 8B. I cannot imagine how long it will take there but I can tell you that Smith is worth the wait. Similarly, four years here in 8B and a) only one ripe Black Madeira (not worth eating) and b) not one ripe Col de Dame Blanc or Fico Preto.

I've been able to ripen Preto and a couple CDDBlanc all of which tasted really great but still no Black Madeira or Smith. I won't give up on them yet, as everyone raves about their flavor. Hopeful my BM will ripen this year, it set figs early so it's possible.

Albuquerque White #2, Native de Argentile, LSU Scott's Black, Strawberry Verte, and Violette de Bordeaux are the newly harvested figs. I tasted them by color and then ripeness.

• ABQ White #2 was better than last season but nothing special.
• Strawberry Verte was the best it has ever been for me. It had not split, the ribs/veins were impressive and it tasted great. On par with Battaglia Green, and JH Adriatic. Berry flavored, juicy with a delicate crunch. I really like it.
• Cannone Dark was picked too early but its flavor is such that with eyes closed, I know it is a Cannone.
• Malta Black. These fruits did not get as much sunshine as they should have and hence, did not swell nor ripen as fully as others have. Still I prefer Malta Black over any of the previous three figs and this next fig.
• VdB is VdB. Very productive. High quality. Extremely flavorful and loved by birds and squirrels. This tree has the potential to produce more figs than any other not named Celeste, Stallion, or MVSB.
• LSU Scott's Black is figgy, berry, jammy, sweet but complex and melts away as you eat it. Wonderful and better than each of the aforementioned figs...to me.
• Pananas Purple has a unique flavor profile that I have discussed previously. Not better than Scott's Black but different. I used to think it was one of two of the most different flavor profiles that I have ever tasted (Camuna Small Black being the other) until we tasted the next fig.
• Native de Argentile is #1 fig of my season. It is the unanimous best fig in this harvest because its crazy good flavor trumps the acidity of Smith. I posted about it here so quickly the flavor was tropical and layered with a good crunch. 

Great photos, thanks for sharing.  May need to get myself Smith.

Thanks Harvey.
Check your PMs.

so any new news on how similar PN and VdB is?

I really like that you label your figs in the photos, good to save for reference.

Mike in Hanover, VA

Great info and I'm not jealous one bit   :)

shah8,
I will do my best to give a fresh 2014 take with the same conclusion. We have discussed this previously and I always appreciate your insight. First, here is the caveat. This is pure observational anecdotage.

Environment. Both are potted 15 gallon, east facing and on timed drip, started as layers, received maybe one year apart although the same age.

VdB Vitals. Two shoots. V-shaped. 10'+ tall each. Figs produced in clusters of 2-3-4 and ripen 1-2 per clusters with 1-2 cluster per branch. 4-5 days to swell and ripen to where the birds will consume and 2-3 days more is when I want to harvest it. Never really goes dead ripe like other figs.

PN Vitals. A 4.5' tall main with a secondary main branch jutting left at about the 3' mark off of the main branch. The secondary branch is growing espalier style. Figs grow one at a time and ripen multiple onesies at a time but in a FIFO (first in first out) order. 2-3 days to swell plus 2-3 days to get ripe like I like and the birds do not consume them. Thus they always ripen very well.

Conclusion. I believe they are different like fraternal twins but likely similar genetically. PN always seems to better because they are always more ripe. The flavor profile of VdB is more discernible than PN.

Thanks Mike.
I need those labels. In the first post of this thread, there are a few photographs that forced me to take the time to label them. For me and my mind, it is better to label. I have lost it before, that is my mind, only to find it after work. There will come a time when I cannot find it. Hopefully, I can still read.

Always great photos! Good information. There needs to be a database where we can search for a variety and up will pop a list of growers' description of year, taste, location, growing conditions...ave. temps, days rain, age of plant, etc.... Just a data program that we could send info to and search at will. Again, just my opinion.