Here you can see my grafted branch of Longue d'Aout figs (sometimes ill-named "Lougue d'Aout", "Longue" in French means "Long").
All branch is covered with figs. The ones of the bottom, on the point of ripening, are of huge size (the coin in the picture is 1 euro, aprox 1 inch diameter).

Nice looking fig, can you describe taste of these figs .
Martin

It is the first year I crop Longue d'Aout figs. So far, it has only ripened one fig. It isn't quantity enough to get any conclusion about taste. That fig was sweet and dense.

When I taste the next figs I will let you know.

Im just curious, where did you get your Longue d'Aout ?  That a very interesting looking fig! Did you buy it as a tree or root a cutting?

I bought it in a French nursery. I live 100 km from the French frontier, so I go from time to time to buy plants what I don't find in Spain. Longue d'Aout is a known variety in France but not in Spain. Finally, I grafted it on an adult fig tree. It is the branch in the picture.

According to Pierre Baud it is a good tasting variety for main crop figs, however the brevas aren't so good in comparison to other varieties. It bears very well the wet weather and rain but it loses sweetness. It is common to all varieties but it seems to be more remarked in Longue d´Aout.

Although it is soon to get conclusions, it is actually my most productive variety. The branch is 2 mt in size and is full of figs from bottom to top.

Wow! lucky you :)  I have been searching around for this one since I saw this post and your pictures and seem to find no way of getting this tree.  I love the interesting or different figs.  Im in the U.S. and can't locate one.  Anyone have any leads? I just gotta find it, lol.  And Steve if your seeing this one, lol, about figs not being my life, true, but sometimes I wonder hahahaha.

Kim - They may not be your life but they turn into a strong obsession for sure!

hahaha, when I first started on this fig search it was just simply wanting a negronne and could not find one in Texas at a nursery, one thing leads to another and Im hooked.  Feels good to be in the company of other "fig addicted" friends, lol... I still dont have a negronne, one more for the list!! ;))

My list is getting pretty long also but thankfully I am nursing a bunch of cuttings that are keeping me from shopping for figs. I'm amazed out how much time I spend thinking about my figs - they sure get under your skin.

Steve - U are not alone. I have this loonie fig traits too. I have mine mostly in pots as I run out of land to put them in ground. My want list is at least 20 varieties.

Axier,

Can you post a picture of the inside of a ripe fig?

Thanks.

Darcy

By Spring I think I will have 17.... Figaholics Anon. I need help, lol.

Hi Axier,

This "Long of August" fig, is it a Smyrna type (does it need wasp pollination?)
Sure is impressive.

Scott

Darcy, I haven't the fig tree where I live, it is to 30 Km from my home. I hope to go tomorrow or so, if there is any ripened fig, I will take a inside picture.

Scott, Longue d'Aout is not an smyrna type, it is a common type fig. It needn't a wasp pollinator.

"Smyrna" is a little used and confusing synomin of  "Longue d'Aout", however it hasn't any relation with the Turkish variety so called.

Here you are the inside picture:

[IMG]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t158/axierx/Longue2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t158/axierx/Longue.jpg[/IMG]

and some a bit overripened delicious LdA:

[IMG]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t158/axierx/LdAout3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t158/axierx/LdAout2.jpg[/IMG]

That is a beautiful fig! Were oohhing and ahhhing over here, lol.

My list keeps growing. I had to flip the page over to add this guy to it ;)

Maybe somebody has it over here?

http://www.eastcoastfigs.com/orchlist.html

I have never seen this site? Thanks Scott!

I've come across that site a few times. Does anyone know if they are still actively growing figs? The site looks like it hasn't been updated in a while. Were they a commercial grower?

Hi Steve -- that's my site.  It's not commercial -- though I have propagated or sent cuttings occasionally for a small fee instead of a trade.  My biggest reason for having it was to help me keep track of my variety list, along with links to other sites and documents.  Of course along the way other people have found it and made contact, so it's been a nice way to meet other fig enthusiasts.

In regards to the Longue d'Aout -- I got it from another poster on the GW fig forum about 3 or 4 years ago.  It had just started fruiting when I decided to remove it and start over in a new site -- so I still haven't tasted it.  All reports that I've read say that it well known for winter hardiness, but that it's not an outstanding quality in regards to taste.  Hopefully Axier will give us his impressions on the flavor.

Gene,
Thanks for the update and I got your email.

Hi Gene, I have to clarify that it is my first crop of Longue d'Aout, so I am not an expert with it, and taste is a personal thing. Taking into account the previous, so far, the Longue 'Aout I have eaten have been very sweet (not a "honey" fig but very sweet) and good taste, above average.

According to P. Baud, Longue 'Aout is a good tasting fig but it suffers specially a quality decreasing when it is planted in soils with deficient drainage or waterlogged. it seems to be a variety specially prone to this. Ironically, the fruit bears well the rain.

In conclusion, Longue 'Aout is for me an advisable variety, good tasting and productive. It is not an outstanding variety, in my opinion "outstanding" are only a few varieties.

I am referring to main crop fig, I haven't tasted the breva crop yet. I have heard that the Longue 'Aout breva is not so good.

I have to add one thing, my Longue 'Aout is grafted on an adult tree of a local variety. Maybe in this case the problems with wet soils disappear, who knows! Contrary to apples and grapes, the influence of rootstocks on figs has not been investigated so far.

Hi Axier, Thanks for the information about the taste.  I'm glad to hear that it's a decent flavor.  It's good that I kept it.

For me, Longue D´Aout is in the same liga with Dalmatie and Dauphine concerning quality and size.
Not the best, but very good, a big fruit, an early breba, and hardy.

Mike

Does anyone have any cuttings of Longue D'Aout for postage or trade??

Jeez that looks awesome! I bet anything it tastes like a Flanders. It has that look.

And I think I am as addicted to varieties as well! Started off innocently, wanting a Mission, a Celeste, and a White Genoa. Now I'm up to 13 and hopefully adding two more this weekend. I can see how people end up with like, dozens, because there are so many different genres, and you want to get a few of each. (berry, honey, jam, molasses, seedless, early, mid, late, light dark, this, that, on and on)

Does anyone have any more current updates on this beauty?

Axier shared some great pics but it would be nice to see some more of the tree as well as maybe some recent experiences on the taste - ?

Bill,

They say the Longue D'Aout and the Melanzana Merdascola are the same fig.
I have both, Just got the L.D. from another fig friend not too long ago.

I have had the MM for about two or three years now. By accident I was lucky to enjoy one last Summer. I found a bit over ripe one and I personally think the taste was awesome! It was berry sweet ( sweetened raspberry? ) with a hint of creme. That's what I thought it tasted like.

So if the story hold true about both being the same then yes the LD is one worth keeping. In my opinion.

Bill - I have taken recent pictures of my LDA. Let it ripen nicely and chilled it in the fridge. It taste awesome. It beats Ital. Honey & many others in the taste category. It is a reliable variant here and hardy as an outdoor tree that needs no protection.  Breba is huge. I do not know how to post pictures. Will try or get a fig friend to do it.

Thank you Rafed & Paully. This is just what I'm looking for.

I've looked here in Jon's varietal pages & see that he doesn't yet have any additional pics of either the MM or LdA. So I appreciate the extra info so far.

Longue d' Aout is one of the two varieties that I was successful at grafting this season. The graft is still looking great so I have hopes that I can care for it successfully through this winter and beyond. I need to get pics of it and post them on here.

I've been toying with the idea of starting an air-layer on these two grafts in hopes of getting them on their own roots. I'm just a little torn about doing so since the grafts presently have the benefit of a well established root system.

I'm sure if I leave them on this healthy root system for at least another season or two, they will put on some great growth & maybe even give me some fruits earlier :-) . So, I may just leave them in place and bury this tree for the winter - grafts & all. Burying has worked well for me so far, so I don't have any reservations about doing that.

Edit: By the way Paully, if you need assistance with posting the pics, I may be able to help. I guess if you e-mail them to me I should be able to get them posted. Unless someone knows an easier way -?    

I have both in my orchard. They are both (MM and LdA) around 5 feet tall and the Longe Dout is loaded with figs. From leaves, they look identical.

I have added two pictures to the post #15. I linked these pictures the past year in other post of Leon, regarding LdA and MM.
I can't describe accurately the taste, but it is delicious. Contrarily to most huge figs LdA is meaty, dense, very sweet with excellent flavor.

I picked one ripe fig of the Longue d'Aout this morning. It was a large fig and was full with flavor. It's a really good tasting fig. 

Those pic's you added in #15 made my mouth water I can't wait to get figs on mine.

Great pictures you added Axier.

I'm glad to hear that this one gets such good reviews from most everyone that's tried it. The, large size = less flavor, equation doesn't seem to apply to LdA. That's good news.

These are photos of my LDA from August 6th of this month. Thanks to Axier for sharing this wonderful variety from France. Unlike many large figs that typically lack the concentrated flavors of smaller varieties, this one is an exception. It is a flavorful, beefy fig that doesn't sour in wet weather and does not drop fruit. It is cold hardy, grows quickly, and is dependably productive. It is one of the best figs in my collection. The first two photos are of the breba and the others are figs from the main crop. The brebas are super big but lack flavor. The main crop makes up for this:
[URL=http://media.photobucket.com/image/longue/leonkim/P1030160.jpg?o=12][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/leonkim/th_P1030160.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL=http://media.photobucket.com/image/longue/leonkim/P1030191.jpg?o=6][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/leonkim/th_P1030191.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL=http://media.photobucket.com/image/longue/leonkim/P1030163.jpg?o=11][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/leonkim/th_P1030163.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL=http://media.photobucket.com/image/longue/leonkim/P1030423.jpg?o=2][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/leonkim/th_P1030423.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL=http://media.photobucket.com/image/longue/leonkim/P1030428.jpg?o=1][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/leonkim/th_P1030428.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

The last pic is amazing.

Bill, you will have mail.

Paully

I enjoy those picture very much Leon. Thank very much for sharing them.

Seems there is much to be said about this winner of a fig.

Sounds good Paully. I will do my best to help you out. 

Leon, glad to know you like it. I agree 100% with your good description.
I forgot to mention one thing you say, it is very productive year by year.
Taking into account that LdA brebas are nothing special, in winter I prune my LdA like an unifere. In this manner I haven't brebas but I get more main crop figs, they are much better.

Axier, my main crop of Longue de Aout looks more rounder. Are these main crop in the photo or the brevas?

Posting a couple pictures of my Melanzana Merdascola for comparison.
The fruit is about 2.5in. long and should be ready by weekend.

I don't what that is but it looks like a Three Mile Island experiment!

Dave,

It looks like it but does not have the color. So I doubt it would be it.
Can you ask the seller for more pics? Have the seller include some pictures of the leaves.

As you can see the leaves on this/these trees are unique.
Shouldn't be too difficult to compare.

I placed a bidd on this fig a while back and lost but I was given a 2nd chance offer but got side tracked and time expired.

Bass, all figs in my pictures are main crop.

Axier,
When does your Longue d'Aout main crop mature approximatively? and what is your summer's high temperatures average?
A friend of mine from Switzerland sent me a variety called "Nordland" and it looks very much like LDA. I wonder if it will mature here... not sure.
Thanks

Fignut had mentioned that Nordland looks very much like Longue d'Aout. The leaves on my Nordland does appear to look like Longue d'Aout. Main crop here in Vancouver British Columbia ripens around 2nd week Oct.

Nice pics Leon, my LdA is also very large.. It is loaded with figs and about 5 feet tall. It seems to like our climate except for the very bad cold snap we had. Im hoping to try a few in the next month.