Are breba considered, in general, to be inferior to main crop figs simply because they are breba and that is just the nature of breba, to be generlly inferior to the main crop of the plant?
Or does it have more to do with timing and climate at time of breba ripening?
I am wondering about this because 2 of my plants, the VDB EL and a green unknown have in the past few weeks put out a couple of breba 3 or 4 weeks after starting their main crop... so the breba will be ripening after the main.

Thanks

Grant
z5b

Unless impatient ( who isn't), it's almost better to rid the plants of brebas to focus on the main. Some plants do have good breba crops but the main are usually 90% of the time better.

Anything with Fiorone( Fiorone di Ruvo) is usually a breba only and either need caprification or the main are considered worthless.

It seems to be an anomaly to happen after the main but it sometimes happens.

As I study the different varieties I have, patterns do start to develop but climate is usually a curveball on them.

I'm just giving a very wild guess, but I'd say it's because of a couple of reasons. First is the cooler weather and the fact that they seem to develop faster. Which in turn they don't develop a higher sugar content. That's just my opinion but maybe someone else has some other input on a more scientific note. I'm certainly no science major.

Tonycm, I think you're right. Figs are heat lovers as a rule and heat produces sweet figs. VDB brebas are in my opinion pretty good, the best breba of my figs. But the real benefit if you can say there is a beneefit of brebas is the early ripening so you don't have to wait til main crops come in to get a fig taste. If your VDB is producing main crop now and brebas are just starting I would remove the breba. If they develop early as is the norm it's worth letting a few grow for the early taste.

Over the past 3 weeks, I picked the following brebras:
Negronne
Sicilian Black JR
Weeping

Each were very good.  Expecting nothing but the best from the main crop.

Supposedly Lampeira are exported just for their brebas but I have one that produces awesome main crop.

So consenus seems to be that generally breba are not as tasty as main mostly because of when they ripen, (ie generally cooler weather) and that they are nice because generally they form and ripen before the main crop, extending the season.

I think I will leave one or two of these late forming breba on just to see how they compare to the main crop when ripening in about the same climatic conditions.

Grant
z5b

Thanks. Since I can only grow for breba crops it's nice to have a list of potential trees to expand my tree varieties in the future.

Nicole ,
I think you would find this article by a forum member , geofiz , very helpful for varieties that you might trial.
He is in BC.
Article should be attached here , hpi_figs.pdf 
if not look at old thread called "figs for cool climates".
Kerry

Marseilles vs Black,has better Breba tasting,than main crop.Of course the main crop is delicious,but the few breba it makes,taste excellent and are very early,like July 10.
This year I have a dozen+ so ,I am waiting.!
It is a general rule that Breba is inferior to main crop,but there are a few exceptions,because fig is so diversified.
In cold climates,Bayernfeige ,and English Brown T,makes better Breba than main crop,but that is because it does not have proper Summer warmth to properly ripe main crop.

I ate a Mission breba from a friend's tree this afternoon. We've had mild weather thus far. It was black, soft, ripe, slightly shriveled, and a bit weather-worn. It was red inside, and it tasted blah. 2 on a 1-10 scale. I don't know if Mission generally puts out poor breba, but if this was any indication, they are not worth the energy the tree uses.

If that was my only experience with eating figs, I'd be totally turned off.

In spite of rumors to the contrary, some brebas are the origin of the expression "forgetaboutit". ;)