Hi bullet08,
In some areas, there are guys that can't find that cultivar - Black Madeira. That is a typical American naming for the strain.
I'm closer to Madeira than your do ... This is unjust !
The funny thing, is if it is in Madeira, it came from Portugal ... And in Portugal, there is no known strain by that name.
But, I perhaps visited the wrong area for figs :( - I was in the Porto area.

Best figs for now ... The ones that do ripen !
I'll see this year, if I become more choosy ...

[QUOTE]Best figs for now ... The ones that do ripen ![/QUOTE]

Absolutely, I think many people get fresh spring amnesia and forget that there will be again be challenges like every other year that has passed. Here it would be rare to have a stretch of warm dry weather at the end of the season to ripen Black Madeira well, I think the last year was 2010. 

Hey Ottawan, find a friend with a legalise grow-op & park your BM tree there for 2 months before weather
warms up. Guaranteed yummie results. To me BM is productive in pot culture.

I like Negronne seed crunch ---taste  lingers in the mouth. I used to have 6 trees. Now down to 3 -- from EL & 2 other strains.

Brent, I believe for roughly our area they are predicting a warmer and drier fall than normal so i am hoping this remains true and we can enjoy some nice figs into autumn.  I know you are farther east than me but still I would imagine the region as a whole should have similar weather.

This is for now the only fig I want to add to my collection

[QUOTE=hoosierbanana]Absolutely, I think many people get fresh spring amnesia and forget that there will be again be challenges like every other year that has passed. Here it would be rare to have a stretch of warm dry weather at the end of the season to ripen Black Madeira well, I think the last year was 2010. 
[/QUOTE]

not really. even at worst weather, figs will ripen here. it's not "whatever figs that ripen", but what is the best among the ones that has ripen. 

it's like saying, give me crap. i'll eat it. what's the purpose of growing large number of figs trees? what's purpose of having 10.. 20.. 50.. 100 different figs if you just want "a fig"? get BT and be done with it. 

Vernino, Shawti, some others that ripen virtually during the winter, it seems probably will not ripen in the Piedmont.  We'd also get short crops for anything that starts ripening mid-Oct on.

Pete,

This winter son spent a week in Columbus (IN) and thanks to a very
kind and generous forum member, brought me a pair of fresh BM cuttings which are now through the rooting process.

Anther pair of 'Figo Preto' sticks this time from Madeira' north coast, rooted this February and are now showing a nice ball of roots

In a couple of seasons will compare their fruit/leaves  with local Violetas both from ground (aged) as well as young potted trees rooted from 2013.

So far noticed from pictures in the forum that both BM and Violeta show:
(no comparison yet with Figo Preto)
- Same leaf contours

- Same fig skin color and shades (tiny dots)

- Same ostiole scale colors/size/arrangement

- Same fruit shape / thick neck /neck color / flat top around ostiole

- Same darker rim separating the pulp mass from the meaty neck flesh (*)

- Same pulp colors ..density may change in view of the diff conditions

(*) This characteristic is well illustrated on the last set of pictures -second from the top- and for me is the best indicator for the correct ripeness of Violeta.. beyond that point fermentation will slowly start. Very few figs (to my knowledge) show that colored rim


jdsfrance

bad luck!
In Porto, I am sure you will find plenty of delicious and mouthwatering  'francezinhas' -
Violeta figs will be far more difficult, if not impossible to spot.

----

Once, spent one morning in Galicia looking for 'Galicia negra'
to be told by the 3 or 4 nurseries..- wrong door !

Francisco

Well Pete I did not mean to imply that I would like crap, so please save it.

exactly brent. we like what's in our yard and we went to trouble getting them there and grow to our satisfaction. and we are still here looking for more. why? it's not because "fresh spring amnesia and forget that there will be again be challenges like every other year that has passed". if that was the case, i wouldn't see Couro Duro on your wish list. 

Not really Pete, I discard the ones that do not suit me. Black Madeira went to my brother (the chef) because I did not enjoy the figs in 2012, maybe they were not to my taste or maybe it was because they did not ripen well in cold weather, they looked good and ripened (although very slowly by comparison) so I can't say for sure. He had none ripen last season and I am sure it is dead to the ground and will not produce this season no matter how nice October. I gave him an itty bitty Sal's as well and I bet he enjoys it much more. The idea that just anybody can pull it off up north is pure imagination, the people who do it well are very devoted to their trees. Maybe I will get it back and grow it in the high tunnell, but right now I have more to try so it is at the back of the potting order.

true enough. not everyone can pull it off. it depends on how much they are willing to put into it. if they can't put in the time, can't really say it's the tree. 

we collect trees base in lot of different reasons. we know BM need long hot summer and lot of heat. if a person wants to taste properly ripen BM, either he put in the time or pass it on. if situation doesn't allow giving what BM needs, BM isn't right fig for that person. can't really say BM didn't perform.

Same goes for Brown Turkey I guess?

of course same goes for BT. but BT taste like crap compare to others.

Which BT variety did you try?

Pete, the wording of your specific question leaves some room for interpretation. I did grow Black Madeira for 6 years but only with good skill and effort for 3. The plant that fruited was a cutting from a plant I killed by planting in a poorly drained spot. So If you want to disqualify me because I can no longer compare then well I guess there is plenty of room on the forum for both of us, right?

To repeat, I do not want lots of crappy figs, you seem to be confused. Black Madeira was productive for me.