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JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
Whenever I 'find' a fruit tree, I add it to My Places in Google Maps with the title FRUIT_NAME in CITY_NAME :: 1234 STREET_NAME along with the name of the owner and a description of the tree(s). To date, I have fourteen places in my FIGS in TALLAHASSEE category. Several of the trees here are Celeste. On most days life is good when you find a fig tree but yesterday it was a grand day because I met FMD - backyard grower supreme - for the first time and he was growing some uncommon figs for this area. Here is a short form of the story:

His home sits on several acres and has a very healthy supply of fruit trees; many that he personally planted 8-9-10 years ago: fig, Asian pear, jujube, blueberry, pomegranate, mulberry, plum, peach, citrus, and several others (a few from Just Fruits and Exotics) than I have forgotten. These trees surround his house. I think his most prevalent is an unknown green (-to-brown) fig with a red (or amber; don't recall) interior. It was not ripe so I did not sample it. He has several around his property. I found these two trees [Herman2 identified as Alma] the most impressive:





There is a multi-football field size area just behind his home and then beyond that, through a clearing in the forest is his 'man cave' where another football field of open space lined with figs, persimmon, and pear trees on the north side and protected by a tree line and a lake. Here is a 18'x15' (easily) Celeste that is growing in the space.



There are several Brown Turkey and a few more Celeste trees growing in this area. Most interesting was out chat about his latest 'project' and the walk up to his 'pride and joy'. Before we got there, I tasted a ripe fig from the offspring of this mother tree and then later, I had this fruit from the mother tree. FMD said he purchased it on-line about 6-7 years ago. It was not a sweet fig - not as sweet as Celeste but it was juicy, rich, and a complex berry like flavor with a nice crunch. I needed more than two fruit to say anything more and there are more to ripen.This Unknown Purple [Franks call this fig NJ Red] is definitely a good fig. I will take more and better pictures during my next visit. We ate the few ripe ones and luckily I was thinking out my forum friends and thought about taking a picture after I bit this one in half but before I devoured the rest.









Then we continued over to his pride and joy. During his most recent trip to Europe and North Africa, he acquired cuttings from Morocco, Canary Islands, Malaga, Genoa, and Amalfi. Here they are growing in partial shade.



As we headed back towards his home, I tasted his another Unnamed Red that was acquired about six years ago. The fig was dense (not as much as Hunt), sweet (not as sweet as his Unknown Purple now known as NJ Red) but equally as complex. The flavor had a fig-like quality rather than hints of berry. Tasting more figs will help me resolve the description. It is another very good fig. Note: There were more of these figs that were ripe so I took a few home and thus was able to take a few photographs with a camera that did not perform other functions (like phone, GPS, video, audio, etc)...so they look a little better.











I was a fun hour that seemed more like three not because it was hot but because FMD is a nice guy. I will return with a digital camera, more questions, a shoe box for figs, and a paper bag for jujubes and pears. It was a good day to be amongst the living and the figs.

Attached Images
jpeg unknown_nj_red-FMD007.JPG (367.07 KB, 8 views)
jpeg unknown_nj_red-FMD008.JPG (367.80 KB, 11 views)
jpeg unknown_nj_red-FMD016.JPG (366.08 KB, 24 views)
jpeg unknown_nj_red-FMD019.JPG (367.74 KB, 23 views)
jpeg unknown_nj_red-FMD010.JPG (381.73 KB, 21 views)
jpeg unknown_nj_red-FMD002.jpg (169.23 KB, 26 views)
jpeg unknown_nj_red-FMD004.jpg (185.56 KB, 26 views)


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jd | tallahassee.fl | zone 8b
Herman2

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
The New Jersey Red is Beall,without the fig mosaic virus.I am sure it is from a totally different source not UC Davis.
The first Pix is Alma,with unripe fruits.
The unknown purple with red interior,is a good fig because it has a closed eye,and has nice red interior.
Get some cuttings of Beall ,so we can trade and I can discard the Present Beall,which is totally contaminated with FMV,and only some years produces a couple of good fruits.
go4broek

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 

Excellent story and pictures, JD! I need friends like that around here! lol
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Ruben
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Check out my online journal @ http://davesgarden.com/community/journals/vbc/go4broek/83546/
genecolin

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Great find JD, the figs look great. I can't imagine a paradise like that. How did you luck into meeting FMD, you don't find people like him by walking through a neighborhood.
Thanks for the story and the pictures.
"gene"
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gorgi

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Ditto! - A great successful hunt and find...
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BLB

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 

Now that was a good day for you!!!

nkesh099

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Great find and even greater story and pics. 

Just being curious. In the 1st pic the tree on the right side of the pool, is that the root crown of the tree elevated above the soil?

Thank you.
JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
It was a good day.

@ Navid. I asked the same question. Those fig trees are survivors. Apparently, they were in planters (now gone) in those spots as well as there was an attempt to remove the trees (interrupted). What you see is the aftermath. For a better look, see the attached image.

@ Gene. We crossed paths in the virtual world. Two residents of Tallahassee interested in figs, Earthboxes, and global buckets. Go figure.

Attached Images
jpeg unknown_green-FMD003.jpg (187.76 KB, 52 views)


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nkesh099

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Well, that is the definition of survivor. Figs are really thought plants. Even the root crown sticking at least one feet out of the soil, tree looks very healthy and loaded with figs. 

Thanks for amazing pictures.


Navid.
noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Look at the girth of the trunk on that tree.  JD, you really lucked out on finding this guy.  Good for you.

noss
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
The fig tree pictures are always nice to see JD.
What impressed me very much though was the way you told the story for it was a true joy to read.
satellitehead

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
duh! "girth" and "figs", how could he go wrong?  ;) ;)

Next up:  JD writes a romance novel.  ;)
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Jason
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Dan_la

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 

Herman2,

I see that you are interested in a FMV free Beal fig tree.  FYI......my Beal cultivar did not come from UCD (private collection) and it is FMV free. It just so happens that I have a little extra one. It is the result of some of my propagation research using "summer" cuttings. It is ready to be planted in potting soil and has a very strong root system that should go through the mail without any problem.  The leaves are a little on the pale side right now.....because of the rooting technique that I used. However, it should grow for you without any problems. I will send one to you shortly and it will be inside of  the package containing the potted Smith tree I am sending you. Be sure to look for it inside the packing materials (foam shipping peanuts).

Your reporting back to me on the survival or demise of this little tree following this rooting and then shipping ordeal is part of the information that I want to develop for my research.

--------------------------------

JD........very nice find indeed.


Dan
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Herman2

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Absolutely I am.
My Beall is very ill,and I really like the nice red exterior,the fruits have,with amber interior.
I also want to grow it to see if any difference in cold hardness,and stage of adaptability,to my conditions,between the California specimen(with fig MV,and Louisiana specimen(healthy).
So Thank you very much if you send me one to start again,growing it.
I will Positivelly report back on the way it perform here.
By the way:
LSU Scot's Black started ,having visible embryos,about a week ago.
Col de Dame started having Embryos,now.
So I see Scot's Black ,starting getting ripe,after September 5.
Plenty of time to ripe fruits,till Oct 25,the first day of frost here.
Dan_la

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
This week I ate a few Smith figs from my tree. It ripens the first crop at the same time as a regular Celeste. With my eyes closed this morning, I thought that I was eating a slightly under-ripe Col De Dame White fig. It is a very good tasting and rain tolerant fig. It deserves trials in other areas. New Jersery is a good area for trial. However, it is not a pretty looking fig with its brown sugar spots. The second crop fall figs will have purple stripes on them.  Will post a picture of a Smith later when I download my recent fig pictures from my camera.

It is good to hear that Scott's Black does well in your trials. It is a winner fig in my yard and IMO it deserves to be "officially" released by LSU.  I believe that Smith will taste very good in your yard too because when the second crop ripens in my yard they still taste very good during those cooler ripening conditions.


Dan
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Herman2

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Dan:You really said something very interesting:Smith second crop,has red stripes on surface!.
My wife told me she has seen fresh figs for sale in ,Costco,that is a white fig with red stripes on it,and asked me if I know the cultivar.
I told her I do not know because there are so many,but I think I know it now,that you told me!
JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
I found these little ones on what appears to be - but probably is not - a "public" tree off of the median of a busy street (East Bradford) just before a ditch outside of a fenced off backyard. When I saw it, I circled back around to have closer look and it had ripe figs (Excellent!). The tree does not get much sunlight thus it is 'lanky' but looks like it will still make a good although small crop of figs. I sampled a few and brought a home. Very sweet and obviously a Celeste.



The first attached image is from Google maps (not mine) and was taken from a street view in 2009. The tree is northeast from the arrow pointing to the right. The other pictures I took on Thursday last week. There are better Celeste trees in the city but this one is off of the side of the road and accessible to anyone driving by and willing to pull off of the road.

Attached Images
jpeg unknown_celeste-BR001.jpg (187.47 KB, 26 views)
jpeg unknown_celeste-BR002.jpg (129.88 KB, 26 views)
jpeg unknown_celeste-BR005.JPG (355.62 KB, 20 views)
jpeg unknown_celeste-BR006.JPG (334.36 KB, 18 views)
jpeg unknown_celeste-BR007.JPG (353.70 KB, 27 views)
jpeg unknown_celeste-BR000.jpg (53.35 KB, 21 views)


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jd | tallahassee.fl | zone 8b
satellitehead

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 

I keep going back to that unknown purple with red interior.  Looks like a great fig.  Curious what it is.
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Jason
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Herman2

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
JD:It is Celeste no doubt in my mind.
What is curious,but know it is possible,is the third pix showing,three figs that are Breba Celeste.
So here is proof, Celeste makes Breba in the right climate!
JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Herman,

Those are main crop figs not breba. The tree gets very little sunlight and only water from rain. I suspect that is the reason why its figs are much smaller than others I have sampled this season. I have two young Celeste trees - one in ground and one in a large pot - and neither has offered a bud. There are several large Celeste trees around the city and I have not encountered a breba...yet.

JD
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Dan_la

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Posted Reply with quote  #21 

Celeste brebas are rare but they do occur in my climate. I ate a couple from my neighbors huge 18 ft. tree the last two seasons.......(did not visit the tree this season). They were good tasting but not even close to the taste of main crop. This large tree has been known to drop 75% of its figs during adverse conditons. Reminds me that I need to go see how it handled this year's severe drought.


Here are a few pictures of her tree that I took a couple of years ago:

Dan
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Attached Images
jpeg Edna's_Celeste.jpg (378.55 KB, 26 views)
jpeg Edna's_Celeste1.jpg (373.08 KB, 22 views)
jpeg Edna's_Celeste2.jpg (314.86 KB, 22 views)
go4broek

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Posted Reply with quote  #22 

here are a cpl of Celeste breba that grew on one of my trees this past May.

Attached Images
jpeg Celeste#1_breba_and_main_crop_5-13-11.JPG (796.97 KB, 22 views)
jpeg Celeste#1_breba_figs_5-13-11.JPG (740.21 KB, 30 views)


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Ruben
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Wish List: Dalmatie, Italian 258, Martin's Unknown (not the Italian), CdD-N, NdC, Signora, Latarolla, Stella!
Check out my online journal @ http://davesgarden.com/community/journals/vbc/go4broek/83546/

Caneyscud

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
JD,  fun find.  I've found 8 in-ground trees so far looking around here in Nashville.  I've only seen ripe figs on one (in years past) - likely Celeste.  I can't wait till Aug/Sept to see the others ripe.  I know they won't be as exotic as yours, but fun nonetheless!
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