If you would be interested in visiting the fig collection at WEO at USDA / UC Davis this summer, probably on or around 8/30, E-MAIL me.

I have not decided if I am going to return to USDA / UC Davis this summer, or wait till 2012, for a couple of reasons.

However, in the event that I decide to go, I wanted to determine who might be interested.

This collection is extremely spartan and devoid of facilities: there are fig trees, lots of hot sun, and what is barely a bathroom. Last summer when Bass and I went, it was 106F in the orchard and 112F in downtown Sacramento. Previous years it has been somewhat cooler. So this is not for the faint of heart or those requiring anything remotely related to amenities.

That's real hot. Made the biggest mistake by visiting Palm Springs in July. By 6 am, its already warm.

Is the collection open year round? Or do you time your visit to coincide with the harvest?

I go when the season is at its peak. Interested in seeing and tasting the fruit.

Yes, Palm Springs is a winter destination - not for summer travel.

Jon,

I may be interseted.
No need for a hotel room since I have twin size bunk beds in my truck.

Better yet, Can I drive my truck through the orchard?
I'll have the A.C. blasting.

Jon,

I am interested in a visit to the USDA/UC Davis collection. However, is there any way to straddle a weekend instead of going mid week?

You know I want to go. I agree with the weekend though. It's hard mid-week for those still working for a living. No fig-lip this time, I promise! ;-)

Jon, I'll go if we can make it a weekend trip.  It's hard for me to go mid week like others.  I'll be coming from Charlotte, NC and would like to buy my tickets 60days in advance for the best prices.  Let me know, please!  Cheers!

Not likely to be on a weekend, as it doesn't fit well in their schedules.

OK. We are scheduled for 8/29-30. If anyone else is interested, let me know.

Jon,
When time is closer I will let you know if I'll be meeting you there this year. I wanted to visit some European collections this year, not sure if I'm still going.

Jon,
Count me in. I may just take the whole week off and drive up. Sister is in Stockton so I can visit her. If I do that, no need for the cost of a rental car. I can pick you and anyone else up at the airport. :-)
Sue

Jon,

Where exactly is this place? Do you have an address?

I would like to plan it too.

Davis, California, which is about 20ish miles west of Sacramento. The orchard is about 20 miles west. However, no snow for me, no Davis for you.

Sue, you have mail!

Hi Jon,
count me in , I will ask for the time off.
Thanks,  Joe

Hi Jon, I was but 20 miles from there today [am at Sac airport right now], but didn't have a chance to stop by, sniff sniff.   I might be having a business meeting in the Sac area that week, so keep me posted.

Pictures Please.
Did everyone have a great time?

Patience dear girl.

It was a good and productive visit. Very different year because of very cold, late Spring weather. Took pictures of about half the orchard, to fill in where we had none, or where there were poor pix, or pix that needed to be verified. Re-photographed all of the trees for verification and comparison. One, A-4-4 Calvert succumbs this last winter. Adriatic actually looked better (by no means great) than it has in the last 5 years.

Snaglpus looks happy.





We burned through a few figs.

Dennis looks very happy there.

Jon,
The ones on the ground look to be cut in half.  Why are there so many on the ground cut?  I'm coming next year and bringing my tortoises (the grounds keepers).

Cathy, Jon was photoing the figs, slicing, and taking another pic of the inside, tasting half, sharing and throwing the remaining away.  HE WAS ALSO THROWING THEM AT ME!  I ate so many figs that first day that my belly ache!  It was a fun trip and looking forward to next year.  I took a small video....i need to research how to post that...if I can.  cheers,

Dennis has that wow look as if he is looking at the field of a whole bunch of fig trees and i could understand that !

For once i happy to see a whole bunch of light figs outnumber the dark types.
ON the Ground !!!

Martin, you are incorrigible.

We picked a lot of figs for photographing. Some were too ripe, some not ripe enough, and in 3-bears style, some juuuuuuuuuuust right. We tossed the lesser ones, and ate the just-right ones, after taking their mug shots. There was no way in the world that we could eat all of the figs that were available. Eating one fig per tree, even after deducting caprifigs, etc, would have meant about 300 figs. But it is a lot of fun trying. We made quite a few piles like the ones you see.

It w\as a lot cleaner before we started:

looks like you guys had a great time.....