snaglpus
Registered:1244258188 Posts: 4,072
Posted 1357863187
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#1
Ok, I'm getting confused. What does it mean when you call a fig TASTY? I'm interested in hearing your definition of a Tasty fig. To me, when I call a fig Tasty, it means it's a couple of notches above OK. I know this year will be a great year for figs and I want to get my documentation right.
I think figs are either.....on a scale of 1 to 10.
POA - Pass Out Amazing (12!)
Caps Lock OMG! - (10)
TA - Truly Amazing (9)
WOW! - (8)
Excellent - (7)
Very Sweet (6)
Sweet - (5)
TASTY - (4)
Good - (3)
Ok - (2)
Bland - (1)
So, how do you describe a tasty fig?
__________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a
DesertDance
Registered:1247674606 Posts: 4,518
Posted 1357863645
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#2
I love your rating scale! Tasty probably means "good." But I also like to WHAT the flavor tastes like...berry, melon, etc. Suzi
__________________ Zone 9b, Southern California. "First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap!" Wish List: I wish all of you happy fig collecting! My wishes have been fulfilled!
dkirtexas
Registered:1341345900 Posts: 1,329
Posted 1357865955
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#3
Wow! what a challenge! A fig has so much going for it that it is hard to discern the true elements of taste, certainly goodness in taste. For comparison, consider the case of music, it is sound, it may be a note, a chord, a concert, all good, some better. Do you like the violin as a solo instrument of in concert with other violins? The in-concert parts brings a fullness and a richness that to many cannot be achieved by a solo instrument. How does this pertain? Your scale is good but does not include the richness of the "Figgy" flavor, which many consider the essential element of taste. I think sweet is a note, "figgy" a full blown symphony.
__________________ Thx, glad to be here Danny K "EL CAZADOR DE HIGO" Waskom Tx Zone 7B/8 Wish list: anything anyone wants me to have. LSU RED. Any LSU fig.
The_celt
Registered:1291260537 Posts: 874
Posted 1357866570
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#4
Moronvia bt =12
__________________http://sumosteaks.com/
Chivas
Registered:1283819505 Posts: 1,675
Posted 1357866586
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#5
To me there are a couple things to consider as well like Suzi says but I generalize a bit more with an unrefined palate. I think of sugar (acid-sickly sweet), Honey, Richness. I am not expert in ranking etc but for me I would say the fig was say a 4 but it was slightly acidic or the fig was an 8 with honeyed flavour but no Richness or it was 12 no acidity and extreme richness. These are examples, I may be getting a bit complicated as well. So Ideally based on your scale I would like anything 7 and above with a slight honey and average or better richness, I prefer not too much sugar all the time (Celeste is sugary as it is) and honey flavour reminds me of very good Baklava.
__________________ Canada Zone 6B
1FigMama
Registered:1331228294 Posts: 57
Posted 1357867853
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#6
I hope to taste enough fresh figs this year that I can begin discriminating. The few I've tasted were category "awesome", so I'm eagerly waiting for more experience this summer. :)
__________________ Mimi N.panhandle WV; Zone 6A
1FigMama
Registered:1331228294 Posts: 57
Posted 1357867977
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#7
BTW...I love the scale, Dennis!
__________________ Mimi N.panhandle WV; Zone 6A
snaglpus
Registered:1244258188 Posts: 4,072
Posted 1357869185
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#8
Thanks Suzi. I'm gonna keep the scale. Now if I was to consider taste, I would link flavors like berry, melon, honey, etc. But you know, it's hard to rate flavors because everybody's taste is so different. To me, "figgy" isn't a flavor. I know we all use it to describe a fig's taste but I have to think real hard what figgy means. To me, figgy taste like dried sweet sticky figs. I like this in describing taste, flavor;
Flavor/ Taste
Honey Rich
Honey Sweet
Honey Mild
Berry Rich
Berry Acidic
Berry Sweet
Melon Watert
Melon Sweet
Sugary
For example, Black Maderia is a cross between Berry Rich and Honey Rich. Whereas, Italian 258 is Berry Acidic. I've never had a Black Maderia that was sugary. Celeste isn't rich but it is sugary.
__________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a
Pattee
Registered:1345750012 Posts: 1,417
Posted 1357869966
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#9
Dennis , love your rating and flavor scales !! I agree that flavor subjective . LOL , don't know if my palate would be that discerning. Is there one topic/chart with fig variety ratings and flavors ? Would be very much appreciated by me !
__________________ 7a & 9b ►I assume all my figs carry FMV ◄ Seeking : Italian 376,395 , Galicia Negra, Negretta,UNK Pastilliere ,Pananas Purple, Malta Blk+purple/red, Italian + Calabrian UNK's , Catanzaro, Malone, Sucrette(Baud) "We may have our private opinions but why should they be a bar to the meeting of hearts?" - Gandhi
lukeott
Registered:1311470849 Posts: 645
Posted 1357870566
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#10
Damn Dennis, How do you do it? I believe you qualify to be our top fig connoisseur. I truly mean that. Your descriptions are great. Now if you could put a list of figs with pics with flavor chart. Now I know why you went to ucdavis, you were in tasting training. Ha
omotm
Registered:1349913471 Posts: 886
Posted 1357871195
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#11
It has been so many years since I tasted a fresh fig, I can't wait. I've learned alot in describing different tastes (flavors/aromas) in beer while I've dabbled in beer judging, hopefully that will carry though for me and help me to describe fig flavors in some detail. Let me also say right upfront I'm not here to say someone's description is out of line. I'd really like to try an example of Dennis' POA because it is a POA, but then put some words to the POA. I'm not trying to pick a fight, rather it would be great to bring some uniformity to how we all describe the sensory perception of figs (OK, I'll say it, just like naming a fig). I'm with Suzi. Figs have to taste more than "sweet", "bland", "OK". Maybe describe in terms of looks of of interior (pics usually take care of this one), aroma and flavor. Dont' forget physical aspects (mouth feel) such as mushy, grainy, seedy, fiberous, watery, firm, soft, dry. Then there is sweet or not sweet or average sweetness. What flavors are detected, berry? (which - strawberry, blackberry, raspberry), melon(honeydew, cantalope)? honey? grape? peach? cucumber? nutty? scale of 1-5 figgy flavor?, others? What makes Black Madeira so unique in its taste?
__________________ Steve
Houston, TX
Zone 8b
Wish List:
Zingarella
omotm
Registered:1349913471 Posts: 886
Posted 1357871906
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#12
Hmmm, after looking at Dennis' recent reply, maybe it should go something like this.... Melon.....slight, moderate, strong, none ----describe (honeydew, cantalope, other) Sweet......slight, modertate, strong, none Honey.....slight, moderate, strong, none Figgy....slight, moderate, strong, none Berry....slight,, moderate, strong, none ------describe (blackberry, strawberry, raspberry) Acidic.....s, m, s, n Skin....thin, med, thick etc, etc, etc Other comments......2 weeks rain before harvest, figgy flavor developed later in harvest, has brown sugar type flavor, very rich flavor --------something along these lines
__________________ Steve
Houston, TX
Zone 8b
Wish List:
Zingarella
strudeldog
Registered:1278124225 Posts: 747
Posted 1357872323
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#13
Ok Dennis now you know what we want. Your figs all listed on those 2 charts. You are one of the most colorful commentators of figs here. I remember the list you did before had me salivating. It might even be cruel to do it this time of year, but torture us. And I want to know what happened to 11 don't you like that number?
__________________ Phil N.GA. Zone 7 Looking for: De La Reina, Del La Senyora, Martinenca Rimada, Parfum De Cafards, Ponte Tresa, Sangue Dulce, Emalyn's Purple, and on and on
DesertDance
Registered:1247674606 Posts: 4,518
Posted 1357875240
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#14
I think 11 is Bad Fen Sui. Suzi... Ha! I think! I don't know!! :-)
__________________ Zone 9b, Southern California. "First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap!" Wish List: I wish all of you happy fig collecting! My wishes have been fulfilled!
shah8
Registered:1339623766 Posts: 657
Posted 1357875959
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#15
It's too bad I've only tasted a few different varieties of figs, since I'm pretty good at assessing taste. I do think it's prudent to mention about ripeness stages. For example, a store-bought mission fig is not especially nice tasting even when slightly unripe. OTOH, I usually can't stop myself from eating barely ripe Petite Negri, which are very bright sweet acid, and they have to be very unripe to be bad. A truly ripe Mission fig has a certain kind of sugar taste that isn't very berry like to me, but is strong tasting and full. Has a nice, stiff, almost cruchy texture with seed crunch. Doesn't taste much different than the dried example, but not too similar to a Celeste. A truly ripe PN has a complex taste (strawberry, fig, wine/mulberry, musk), with the acid dimmed down a bit, but still bright enough to be intense on the tongue with a very jam consistency and softer seeds with less crunch than barely ripe PN. Of course, the real issue is that location tends to matter. A VdB will give good fruit most anywheres, but a Petite Negri definitly has a tendency to want real heat for good fruit. However, a PN will give a good tasting fall crop in cool weather. I do not get but one or two, but while they are very simple, relative to spring and summer crop, they're still good and sweet. So I think the best way to go about this is as one former member suggested, sorta. Pick some 4-6 archetypal common figs that people will not genuinely have trouble buying trees of, and have everyone relate the figs to the archetype. How much does a Hunt differ from a Green Ischia. Or a JH Adriatic differ from a Stella, or Kathleen Black from a Mission, and make the distinction on how berry, how solid the taste is, how sweet, how figgy, how aromatic, etc... Given my experience with puerh tea, people simply do not stick with any organized category of characteristics that one fills a database field with or tick off. Instead, what happens is that more and more people know what you mean with certain words in certain context, because they've had more experience tasting more different kind of figs and have had the light bulb go off on, say, "this is a velvet fig". Not that I know what velvet means now, but what I'm saying is that a common language shorthand will pop up. Sooner or later, when Dennis talks about "rich" figs, more and more people know what Dennis means, and even Dennis changes his idea of what "rich" is to agree with everyone else he know's idea of "rich".
__________________ Especially desired figs: UCD 187-25, UCD 200-48, UCD 157-17, UCD 309-B1, Princesa, Black Madeira, high quality sugar fig that ripens Sept-Oct. Probable desired fig: Smith, St Jean, JH Adriatic, CddB, Gulbun, Pastilliere, Sucrette Rooting: Smith, CDDB--this pretty much means I have my fun tries (tho' important since they are truly desirable), and only interested for this year: Gulbun, BM, 187-25, or something wildly exotic or precious that nobody has any good reason to send me.
slingha
Registered:1339292965 Posts: 656
Posted 1357876235
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#16
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_celt Moronvia bt =12
You obviously haven't had their Kadota. It's also a solid 12. Martin sent me a pm about it.
DesertDance
Registered:1247674606 Posts: 4,518
Posted 1357876379
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#17
What is puerh tea? And how does it relate to figs? Just curious........... Suzi
__________________ Zone 9b, Southern California. "First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap!" Wish List: I wish all of you happy fig collecting! My wishes have been fulfilled!
bullet08
Registered:1284496248 Posts: 6,920
Posted 1357922130
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#18
tasty could be different things for different people. VdB, when weather cooperates, is amazing fig. but i like Paradiso Gene which to me is very humble fig with no strong taste. i'm sure to some Paradiso Gene will be lacking in character. VdB would be like super fig with all the bells and whistle going off at first bite. when i say tasty, that fig made me like i want to eat another one. hopefully, i'll have more to eat this year :)
__________________ Pete Durham, NC Zone 7b "don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill "the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher ***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. ***** ***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
shah8
Registered:1339623766 Posts: 657
Posted 1357930175
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#19
Puerh tea is tea (usually sold in cake form) that people generally age. Given the cost for buying all that tea in a cake, and the trouble of storing it for the years and decades to get that old tea taste, there is a lot of judgment about which tea is worth it. So unlike more carefree attitudes with other teas, there is a strong effort to be critical about puerh tea. We also do it because older, well stored tea is incredibly expensive, and one hopes one day to have lots of good tea by the time one is retired, twenty, thirty years hence. How it relates to figs? Not too much other than that it's speculative about which fig variety will do well where you are, 5 or 6 years down the road with a mature tree. And of course, evaluating taste. It's not any more relevant than high end wine or cigars or cheese or anything else that's designed to have a very strong initial taste and using time to mellow it into something expansive on the tongue. I think the most important thing about this hobby has these aspects: First, figs are an easy and adaptable tree fruit to grow. They can be experimented with, much like any gooseberry! Second, figs can be a lot better than most Americans can give credit for, due to a lack of high quality fresh fig varieties. Remember, a Golden Delicious or Stayman Winesap are very good varieties that are still available for the average American. Contrast that with Brown Turkey figs. We're still in the stage of discovering which figs tastes nicest grown where, you know. Third, I think that boutique table figs--good boutique table figs, not badly grown Kadota, BT, or indifferent Missions, have potential to be a pretty good cash crop for many areas of the country, particularly in the US South, and I do believe Suzi has designs on trying to make wines. Figs has just never had a decent marketing effort behind them, and most breeding programs in the US have been stunningly unambitious, like figs that make an appetizing flesh color when dried. Moreover, we can barely be bothered to name high quality new figs like Emerald Strawberry. Like pawpaws and cherimoyas, figs deserve better recognition than what they get, and they are far more agriculturally friendly than annona species. This board is an important part in getting across this message, and giving people who want to try their hands at something commercial or just an occasional tasty treat a head start is important in expanding normal people's horizons about what really tastes good or interesting. I like to think that good Italian cooking helps protect Italians from worst of their dysfunctional political system, for example.
__________________ Especially desired figs: UCD 187-25, UCD 200-48, UCD 157-17, UCD 309-B1, Princesa, Black Madeira, high quality sugar fig that ripens Sept-Oct. Probable desired fig: Smith, St Jean, JH Adriatic, CddB, Gulbun, Pastilliere, Sucrette Rooting: Smith, CDDB--this pretty much means I have my fun tries (tho' important since they are truly desirable), and only interested for this year: Gulbun, BM, 187-25, or something wildly exotic or precious that nobody has any good reason to send me.
snaglpus
Registered:1244258188 Posts: 4,072
Posted 1357930928
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#20
Fig Connoisseur? Me? HA! That's funny! I love going to UC Davis. And if Jon goes this year, then I'm in! It is truly amazing to taste and eat so many figs all day long. I just love figs!!!!!
I read the comments last night and could not comment because the wife and I had to watch Project Runway! I love that show! Ok, now that I had a chance to read over the comments again. I seem to again with Suzi and Steve. Figs do have more of a taste that sweet. But sweetness is all about timing when you pick, heat and water. So, I'm going to keep my Flavor/Taste category. I'm going to call my first category the "How Good is it " category. Then we have the "Flavor / Taste " category. Then "Texture " category. Then we have the "Sweetness Scale " category. Black Maderia is in my opinion the top of the richness scale. It doesn't have a honey flavor, it doesn't taste like sweet strawberries, its not acidic, its just a well balance rich thick flavor. It's kinda like eating a teaspoon of thick mild Sorghum molasses with a sweet White Marseilles. White Marseilles is an excellent tasting fig BTW. They are one of the first that ripen in my area (June). Mine are light green when ripe and show cracks all around.
Steve, I think Watery is a category all by itself. Cucumber, peach, grape, strawberry, honey dew, etc are all flavors in my opinion. But they do definitely describe how a fig taste in detail. Hmmmm, I might call these Flavor taste. You're right about the physical aspects too! But I think time picked should be a factor. I also like your comments Steve in post 12! Yes! I like that.
So, you guys want to know what happened to number 11? Well, wanted to save this one for futher discussion. Have you ever eaten a fig that was flat out amazing and you just could not stop eating them? This fig is definately above 10 but you know other figs are a little better in flavor and taste. I call 11, "Mental ". For example, Smith, Excel, Zidi, San Peitro, Black Ischia, Tacoma Voilet, California Brown Turkey, Mission and a few others are Mental! They are above 10! My wife is my taster but I'm the Joker in the deck, so sometimes I trump her calls on taste. She didn't think Black Madeira is a 12. I disagree because of its thick richness and Smith isn't too far behind it. She did say Ronde de Bordeaux was a 12 but I'm not sure I agree. To me, it's a 7. Now, Toni's Brown Italian is a 11.....maybe 11.5! But, De la Senyora a definate 12!
I realize taste is different to all people. The sweetest fig I ever tasted is White Triana but it's not rich. After I tasted my first WT, I called Joe and order 4 more! To me, WT is a 9. To me its a 9 but to another person it might be a 10. To me tasty says nothing about how a fig really taste. For instance, on Bass's web site, he describes some of his figs. Those he list as "excellent" spike my interest but those that are just "tasty", I overlook. So I have no idea what he means by tasty. But when you read Ronde de Bordeaux, he calls it "excellent". I bought my RdB from Bass around 4 years ago. I had no idea how the figs taste. At that time I was just buying fig trees and I knew he traveled around the world seeking figs. After a few years in a pot, I planted it in my orchard. I agree with Bass, it is excellent...... but a 7 according to my scale.
cheers,
__________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a
strudeldog
Registered:1278124225 Posts: 747
Posted 1357932500
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#21
Ok now I understand "POA - Pass Out Amazing (12!)" of course you can't keep eating them in a unconscious state. A 11 you can just keep on stuffing them away, but I think you should change the tittle to "Lays" Because you can't just eat one
__________________ Phil N.GA. Zone 7 Looking for: De La Reina, Del La Senyora, Martinenca Rimada, Parfum De Cafards, Ponte Tresa, Sangue Dulce, Emalyn's Purple, and on and on
NYPD5229
Registered:1357833134 Posts: 32
Posted 1357933058
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#22
I really would love to go but that whole lack of a BR for 10 hours is a bit of a turn off.
__________________ Dominick-MA Zone 6A/6B
Dieseler
Registered:1215735852 Posts: 8,252
Posted 1357935093
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#23
Dennis you type in part "Black Maderia is in my opinion the top of the richness scale. " It depends what one considers the taste of - Rich. For example -rich in Love Rich in wealth etc Madeira is not rich in fig taste some say figgy but perhaps in a desert class of figs if there is a such a class. Example a Berenaulese wine is considered a desert wine - i must say its very good. Perfect example well just in my opinion and in this Ray Givens video starting at about the 2:20 mark
Hardy Chicago is way over Madeira if you consider Rich as in fig flavor as Maderia just does not have that but has flavor that Hardy Chicago does not such as a unique mixed berry type type that many figs do not have. Dennis you must lean more to that dark side i keep telling ya Babe stop wasting all that ground. I just had to add that shameful plug. ; )
paulandirene
Registered:1264433694 Posts: 398
Posted 1357935609
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#24
Great idea! How about a 'lowest' category POS - (0)
snaglpus
Registered:1244258188 Posts: 4,072
Posted 1357960431
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#25
ok, PaulandIrene, from 2012, what fig would you say is a POS, 0?
__________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a
persianmd2orchard
Registered:1342002131 Posts: 431
Posted 1357998111
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#26
2012 I tried to nibble on some freeze damaged brebas that couldn't ripen. That was a zero.
Giuseppe
Registered:1248355184 Posts: 79
Posted 1358020857
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#27
Dennis, you are one of the few people that likes California B.T.MANY People don`t like this fig ,but for me this is a very good fig .I have a large collection of figs ,not sure what my favorite fig is,but any well ripe fig is good for me,the growing season is very short in upstate ny.Ciao, Giuseppe
smithmal
Registered:1402603486 Posts: 75
Posted 1406833815
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#28
bump on an old thread...This chart was developed by Ken Love, a fig researcher from Hawaii. He convened a panel of professional chefs to help develop this fig taste/flavor data. This information was taken (with his permission) from his website:
http://www.hawaiifruit.net/index-figs.html Fig Name 1 to 10 1 to 5 FLAVOR (taste) (intensity) Description 135-15s 8 4 strong berry 135-4s 3 3 acidic 143-36 3 2 little taste 143-38 3 2 slight acid 152-4s 4 3 slight molasses 153-17 9 5 Honey 184-15s 8 4 strong berry 184-15s 8 4 strong berry 200-43 4 3 acidic 200-43 7 3 mild berry Adriatic 6 2 slight sweet Aked 6 4 mild berry Alma 5 3 slight molasses Armenian 7 4 mild berry Barnissotte 4 2 slight molasses Beall 8 5 slight honey Black Fig I 4 3 melon Black Madeira 8 5 strong berry Blanquette 5 3 slight sour Bournabat 7 4 strong berry Brunswick 5 3 slight melon California Brown Turkey 6 4 berry Calimyrna 7 3 melon / berry Calvert 7 5 strong berry Capitola Long 5 4 melon Capitola Long 7 3 melon Castle Kennedy 7 4 Honey melon Celeste 6 4 Honey Col de Dame 7 5 strong berry Deanna 5 2 mild Early Violet 8 4 strong berry Excel 4 3 earthy Excel 6 3 Honey Flanders 6 3 berry Genoa 8 5 strong berry Giant Amber 5 3 slight molasses Giant Amber 6 4 melon / berry Golden Celeste 6 4 slight honey Gulbun Selection 284-11 7 4 strong berry Ischia Black 7 3 strong berry Ischia Green 6 4 mild berry Ischia White 9 5 strong berry Ischia White 9 4 honey Kadota 1 6 4 slight sweet Kalamata 8 4 melon Karayaprak 4 4 slight honey King 7 4 Honey Marabout 7 4 molasses / mild berry Marabout C.smyrnay 7 4 mild berry Marabout C.smyrnay 9 3 jam Mary Lane 4 3 melon Native De Argentile 7 5 strong berry Native De Argentile 8 4 molasses Orphan 4 2 melon Osborn Prolific 6 3 mild Palmata Hybrid 6 4 strong berry Panachee 8 4 strong berry Panachee 9 5 jam Pied De Boeuf 7 4 strong berry Rattlesnake Island 4 2 slight molasses San Pietro 4 3 slight honey Santa Cruz Dark 9 4 Honey / berry Santa Cruz Light Or White (morgan S 4 4 earthy Selection 326-1 5 2 slight molasses Selection 337-2 4 3 mild Selection K-7-11 4 2 melon Skardu Black 6 3 Honey melon Snowden 6 4 mild berry St Jean 5 3 sweet St Jean 6 2 sw Sucrette 5 3 earthy Tena 5 2 slight sweet Trojano 3 2 mild Trojano 4 2 mild Ucr 276-14 3 3 slight sour Ucr 276-49 2 3 slight molasses Ucr 278-128 5 3 slight molasses Ucr 291 4 2 slight honey Ucr 309 B-1 6 4 slight molasses Ucr-291-4 3 3 slight sour Verdal Longue 6 3 mild berry Vernino 7 4 mild berry Verte 8 4 berry Violette De Bordeaux 8 4 mild berry Walker 6 3 mild berry White Texas Everbearing 6 2 slight sweet Yellow Neches 8 3 slight honey /melon Zidi 8 4 complex / molasses Dauphine 6 3 mild berry Flanders 6 3 slight honey Source: Ken Love http://www.hawaiifruit.net/index-figs.html
__________________ Malcolm - MD - Zone 6BVarieties growing (Received 2014): Beale, Col de Dame Blanc, Danny's Delight, Desert King, JH Adriatic, Lemon , Longue d'Aout, Marseilles Black VS, Olympian, Ronde de Bordeaux, Strawberry Verte, Vista, UCR-184-15s, Violette de Bordeaux, White King
greenfig
Registered:1359790036 Posts: 3,182
Posted 1406836954
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#29
Malcolm,
Thanks for the list.
After my short fig experience, I would add 2 or 3 more columns.
Container or in the ground.
Location (state/zone)
Pollinated or not.
Those three things have a dramatic effect on the taste.
__________________ wish list: Violeta, Calderona. USDA z 10a, SoCal
DatesNFigs
Registered:1355761080 Posts: 43
Posted 1406843990
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#30
I love this list, potentially it could be really a really handy reference when it comes time to trade cuttings. I do wish it had a little more info per variety, but otherwise it's great.
__________________ Drew Zone 7b - Queens NYC
Hoosierguy86
Registered:1375830122 Posts: 246
Posted 1406856247
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#31
Oh cool! I will know what flavors to look for. Thanks for bumping!
__________________ Scott N. Indiana 5b/6a
waynea
Registered:1362316304 Posts: 1,886
Posted 1406859212
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#32
The list is nice but we need updates all the time including growing conditions/environment/location/age of plant/ etc... I believe most of the testing was done in Hawaii and I believe between 07/08. This is a good project for someone to chart recent data from multiple members(not only one person) including all conditions previously mentioned. I feel Love's list is a good start with more data to be added. Just my opinion.
smithmal
Registered:1402603486 Posts: 75
Posted 1406902793
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#33
I would agree, creating some sort of Flavor Database would be great, but taste and, moreover, taste is greatly affected by fig type, tree age, planting environment, soil/fertilizer combinations, zone location and yearly weather. For this reason, as pointed out, this list is lacking in detail to provide good recommendations to "Joe the Fig Grower" in location "x." If one were REALLY interested in obtaining good fig flavor data there is one group of testers that I can think of that would be extremely experienced and passionate in such a task .... US! I suggest during the several annual "get togethers" across the country, it would be an ideal opportunity to capture good fig flavor profiles by using a standard Fig Flavor Survey. We could all work on creating an effective survey template that everyone could use during these "get togethers." That way, we are all using the same survey parameters as well as collecting appropriate data. Over the course of time, I'm certain a somewhat accurate flavor database could be created and be tremendously helpful to F4F members and fig growers in general. I'd be willing to create a draft survey template and house the database if there is a general interest in this. I'd especially like to get feedback on this idea from individuals that attend fig gatherings or host them. Even more data could be created by creating an "Elite Fig Tasting Tester Group" which members mail figs to for taste testing. That way, we could have a defined group of experienced tasters surveying identical figs from all around the country. This one might be a little bit more "Pie in the Sky" but, if people were willing....
__________________ Malcolm - MD - Zone 6BVarieties growing (Received 2014): Beale, Col de Dame Blanc, Danny's Delight, Desert King, JH Adriatic, Lemon , Longue d'Aout, Marseilles Black VS, Olympian, Ronde de Bordeaux, Strawberry Verte, Vista, UCR-184-15s, Violette de Bordeaux, White King
HarveyC
Registered:1212433117 Posts: 3,294
Posted 1406905555
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#34
Ken's evaluation of taste was done at Wolfskill (west of Davis). Igor, Ken is describing flavors, not causes of flavor. That doesn't belong in such a chart, IMO. There are many other factors that affect flavor such as nutrition, climate, etc. All of the trees at Wolfskill have pretty much the same influencing factors so the tastes can be readily compared relative to one another.
__________________Harvey - Correia Farms Isleton, CA (Sacramento County) USDA zone 9b, Sunset zone 14
http://www.figaholics.com https://www.facebook.com/Figaholics
rcantor
Registered:1309799312 Posts: 5,724
Posted 1406912000
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#35
And they have the wasp, so what they taste like there will be completely unrelated to what they'd be like outside of California/Mexico. Some figs that are great with the wasp may be mediocre without and some will be almost as great.
__________________ Zone 6, MO Wish list: Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
waynea
Registered:1362316304 Posts: 1,886
Posted 1406916494
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#36
Exactly, this why we need to know what they are like in other areas besides California. the other factors would be nice to know. Thanks Bob.
snaglpus
Registered:1244258188 Posts: 4,072
Posted 1406920665
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#37
I'm glad to see this thread is still alive!!! What Harvey said is true. Jon and I were there the exact same week and day Ken was there. There are so many factors that could change a fig's taste; taste buds, too much rain, too much sun, climate, wasp, etc. If you are a smoker, a ripe fig might taste completely different than a non-smoker's taste. The UC-Davis orchard manager, Howard, told me 2 years ago when I was there that Excel was his favorite tasting fig and that Adriatic tasted like coconut. He is a smoker. I am not. I walked over to the tree, grabbed a few figs and to me they taste like a cross btw a raspberry and a strawberry. So, taste can mean different things depending on a person's taste buds. And in my climate, Adriatic is not as rich as it is in Ca. This week, from my orchard, I've been picking Texas Everbearing, Piedmonte, Marva Silka, Florea, Kadota, Smith, and Brown Turkey figs. Folks in the office said TEB taste like peaches. But they don't to me! I waited and picked them until they were completely ripe. Piedmonte taste similar to Black Maderia to me! I have my own database of figs that I grow and how they taste to me -- when picked. So far, this year , the best tasting figs in my climate are: 1. Piedmonte 12 2. Texas Everbearing 11 3. Florea 10 4. Kadota 10 5. Smith 6. Marva Silika 6 This is going to be a weird year for my figs. The artic cold of last year has delayed many of them. Those that are putting out ripe figs now were winterized indoors. However, we are having a repeat of some rains like last year. My tree are full of figs and I hope they delay ripening until the rain is over. My largest Lyndhurst white and LSU Gold are loaded and the figs are starting to lighten. Today, and yesterday we've had flash floods. And it's suppose to rain all this week till Wednesday! This is not good for figs. Oh well, I just hope we have a very hot Fall.
__________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a
waynea
Registered:1362316304 Posts: 1,886
Posted 1406926248
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#38
Well I still thank everyone who post photos of figs and describes how they taste, conditions of growing, know we may not have the same taste for them. And, it is amazing how everyone asks "how did they taste?", even though we may know they may not taste exactly the same to us. It sounds like you may be agreeing especially when we post scores on taste, this is like a table or chart. Anyways I'm done, although I do believe that everyone, at some time has asked how do they taste?