EDIT: The title originally said Bronx but it should have said Brooklyn. Sorry
My father's parents immigrated from Madeira, Portugal approximately 100 years ago (my grandfather a bit more and making the trip three times, my grandmother a bit less). They had 11 children with one dying at about 6 months of age (grandmother's milk was too strong???!!!). The 10 others are aged 75-92 with my father being the second oldest. The youngest, one of 7 girls, apparently had a wild spirit. While the 9 others all live within 20 miles of the original farmstead, she moved to southern California. She married someone of Italian heritage, no less! :) Okay, at one other aunt married an Italian and they are both nice aunts!
My uncle Vinny let my aunt escape SoCal last week and they came up for a visit with the family. I discussed my fig enterprise and uncle Vinny was surprised. We talked some and he was under the impression that all figs came from Italy! :) I explained to him that figs came from many places in the world and did not originate in Italy which he had a hard time accepting. He asked, then, which was the "Cadillac of figs". I told him this was subject of much debate but he pressed further so I let him know that many people considered a fig that goes by the name of Black Madeira as being the best-tasting. This raised his eyebrows and he smiled. He's a retired engineer but, perhaps, could have done well as a diplomat as well. We talked a bit further and he said that where he was raised in Brooklyn his family had a fig tree in the back yard but that he hadn't been there for many many years and he doubted that it still was there since there were mostly Russians in the area now. Looking at online maps, the location is no longer DeVita Prime Meats but now a Russian pharmacy.
Unfortunately, online maps are not clear enough to determine if a fig tree remains at this location. I can only see one very large tree. Chances are slim that it remains. However, if someone in this forum might be in the area and be willing to help out, I'd appreciate the chance to surprise my uncle. Ideally, I'd get some cuttings from the fig tree if it still remains and really give my aunt and uncle a big surprise. They both love figs but don't have a fig tree in their yard!!! Send me a PM if you'd like to try to help in this quest.
There are other fig trees in front yards in the area according to the most recent online maps so it would be interesting also to see how many survived this past winter.