Welcome Joe -- I was just thinking that we needed more "Jersey" here :-)

In case you didn't pick up on it from Aaron's posting #4, there is a fig called Paridiso and you pretty much HAVE to get it given your name.
Cheers,
Jim

welcome

Welcome!  There are lots of figs with the name, "Paradiso".  We have a lot of members in your area and there are, I believe, 4 get togethers (including Bill's) in the warm season annually.  They're all posted here.

If you search for posts by Bass, who runs http://www.treesofjoy.com , he's posted the figs that have done the best for him.  He's only 1 hr away from you in Bethlehem, PA so your climates should be similar.

Welcome fignatic. 
What part of Italy did your grandparents come from?  Did they have a name for your dark fig?

Thanks for all the well wishes from everybody.  The unk dark fig that my grandparents brought from Italy about 80 years ago was from " S Giovanni A Piro Salerno" according to my aunt who keeps the family records that she got from my grandmother. No pictures yet but in the spring Ill be sure to take some and post them.

Welcome Joe!

Welcome!!

Welcome to the forum.

And a hearty welcome from Maryland!

Hey Joe, welcome.

Welcome Joe.  If you are in Maplewood I doubt you are 6A under the revised USDA hardiness map.  More likely 6B or 7A.  Except for the 13/14 winter of course, where everybody in the eastern US was a zone colder than usual.

Rob:   My bad. Just checked zone hardiness map and it is 6B.  Thanks for the info.

Welcome Joe, from another northeastern fig hobbyist.

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a