Good day!  Over the past few days, I've been busy picking a lot of ripe figs and setting air layers on local finds in the area.  But, today I have a fig that I'm not sure many have heard of.  It's called Rubado.  It's a round fat large fig that has a tough skin.  When it splits, its time to pick!

We have been having small showers the past few days but for the most part, its been dry in my part of Charlotte.  Most of Charlotte has been receiving rain daily but not my area!  This fig is very very very rich tasting and is ruby red inside.  I got my tree from a lady in Texas about 4 years ago.  Back then, I purchased a lot of her trees at a very good price.  She did not have much information on Rubado but when I posted this fig on Facebook, Sergio said this about the fig:

Yes, it was by me sent. It was described in POMONA ITALIANA, his name is also CUORE (heart) for his reddish pulp colour. Is very good if very well ripened. Rubado means (in later Latin) "a few red", (colour of the peel).

I second that, Dennis! Even though, for me it is late, it stands as one of my best ( if not the best) fig in my collection. The flavor is amazing and truly unique. Mine came from Maggie Maria years ago. I never had any trouble with splitting or souring. You're right about the skin, too. It is tough, but I think it prevents some of the ripening problems that some of the thinner skinned varieties have, especially in rain.


https://postimg.org/image/aqahn2rvp/

https://postimg.org/image/4qmqjf739/

Nice looking interior color, very uniform.Is the eye open I can't tell by the pictures? Looks like it might have a unique flavor too.

Bill. Love to see a cracked skin fig. Perfect ripening inside and out.

Great looking fig variety, Dennis!

"This fig is very very very rich tasting and is ruby red inside."

It's not often that someone give a figs flavor 3 consecutive "very"s so the taste must be a standout!

Dennis,

Great looking fig.

Here in Cary we are like you in Charlotte - rain everywhere except at our house.  My lawn and my Black Mission need a good soaking rain.  My Celeste, brown turkey and fig tree from Israel are doing OK though.

Tad

Grant,

The eye of rubado is commonly sealed with a bead of honey ( at least from what I've observed on mine), or has a small-medium opening. The flavor has always reminded me of a cherry jolly rancher. It is just really intense. I remember sharing a few fruits with some folks and they also concurred about that description. Mine end up ripening in mid September. Here is a thread I started about rubado last year. Vladis includes a pic of the eye with honey, so it must be somewhat common.


http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/rubado-2016-domo-arigato-8244432?highlight=rubado&pid=1293541887

If I were to give this fig a taste scale of 1 to 10.  it would get a 15.  It taste much better that Longue D'Aout!  LDA has a taste scale of 12.  This fig taste much better!  

Tad the rains are coming and the leaves are falling and the figs are trying to ripen!  It rained last night, this morning, this afternoon...then the sun came out and it got to 88 degrees outside.  I rained again moments ago and the sun is out again!  My trees are loaded with purple and black figs but they're not ready to pick yet.  Black Celeste, MVS, Smith, Hardy Chicago, Don Fortiss, Pananas Purple, Piedmonte, Marseilles White, Bari, Black Mission, and others but they are not ripe yet!

Yesterday, I picked my blackest Hardy Chicago and it was excellent!

A keeper for me

Hello Bill! Thanks for posting your post from last year. We have the same figs. And it was Sergio that gave me the info on Facebook. It does have a unique flavor! I am so glad to have this tree in my collection. The figs are golf ball size in my clmate.

Why is it when I think I am done collecting figs because I have so many and it is so much work,someone comes along and post a fig like this and then the addiction starts back up and I go into the want mode all over again.Dang it why did I have to find this site.Lol! 

Love that flesh, Dennis.  I hope you get lots more to enjoy.

OK, guys... you now have succeeded in bumping up the "gotta have " meter by an increment of 1. I certainly hope you are all satisfied with yourselves.... Now.... where does one acquire said "food of the Gods"?

I thought I was done buying rare figs but I guess not.  I'm glad I up-potted this guy in early summer otherwise I wouldn't have any figs to eat.  It is a honey fig but I had to pick these because the rain has started in Charlotte.  I have more on my tree but we'll see if they ripen. 

Thanks Dennis, I just added that to my growing list of "Must Have" figs.

I'll have to join the group adding this to my Want List, and here I thought I was done with my list....

Dennis, if you do end up moving our way please bring a tree or two of this variety with you :-). Please.

Hey Dennis, What some beautiful photographs. Beautiful Fig,thanks so much for posting! : )

Rubado in Tuapse.  

I'm Sergio,
I think Pomona Italiana perfectly describes the fruits (figs and other, of Italian begin of 1800).
Who wants (free) a printable copy of the Pomona Italiana - texts and coloured images - (in Italian, but translatable) please send by email, his own e-mail, by message.
Rubado fig is worth what I say: there is no better variety at all.
It is inutile if someone says: this is better, .. may be is better in his climate, his soil, his sun, his dry.
Better: is very good, when it is so in YOUR climate, in your condition.
Rubado is a very rough, quite inedible when it is not well mature (acred and astringent), only when it is withered and pendant can be harvested.
Is said ironically: he must have the rogue dress, tear, and the boss of the sinner)
NOTHING to be a little soft!
In the withering it undergoes an enzymatic modification which produces an huge increase in sweetness, and disappearance of astringency.  
Even the tree (roughness of the leaves) is VERY rough.
In the picture Pissaluto (Pissalutto) fig, another variety described in Pomona Italiana.
I do NOT send cuttings for commerce, I can do some small exchange.

Rubado = Negronne (VdB). However I don't understand why the one shown is green-skinned.

From http://figs4fun.com/Varieties.html

RUBADO
DESCRIPTION 
Bordeaux is a French region which grows many varieties of figs. Condit's Bordeaux is usually and appropriately called Negronne in Bordeaux (after the town of Negronne which is apparently its place of origin) . Giorgio Gallesio coined the Cuore, which means "heart-shaped," in 1817 for the fig already known as Rubado in Liguria.

Rubado is green in colour but assumes a violet-red shade on exposed to sun side.
The type of green is however green-dark.
(Obviously shading in violet depends in how many is exposed).
Rubado is very ancient vernacular italian, and can means "(red) flushed".
Is a "hard" fig.
Image from Pomona Italiana.  

Not negronne.

Mой Rubado in 2016.      

THIS is absolutely Rubado, at all.
The naming of figs is on basis a true mess. Going into detail becomes more and more contradictory.
Sometimes two different figs have the same name.
Sometimes three have the same name.
Just read Pomona Italiana, or "The fig" of Condit, and there are figs that have a dozen names, it's best to converge on the best known name.
Condit himself is often in trouble.