I wanted to share with you how pleased I was with this book Les FIGUERES A LES ILLES BALEARS by Montserrat Pons. It is written in Catalan language. Although it's written in a language I can't fully understand, the content is so valuable. The pictures are amazing of most of the fig trees from the writer's collection. He describes the flavor, weight, skin thickness. As well as colors and photos of the tree while dormant and during the summer months. I went through all 450 pages a few times already.
I would suggest this book for serious collectors, for beginners who don't speak Catalan it is still nice to look through the pictures but It's not really intended for beginners.
The writer focuses on the successes of certain varieties for the Balearic islands. Montserrat pons describes how he propagates his figs out in the orchard by placing a few branches in the ground and training them as one standard tree. As well as grafting pictorial.
The book is not available in the US but you might be able to order it from Spain directly. Be prepared to pay a lot for shipping for this 450 page book.

[IMG]http://www.popster.es/img/minip/llibrefigueres.jpg[/IMG]

Very interesting Bass,
How much was the total investment?

BTW, There was an article about you in the Internet.
It showed you with the fig trees and while in the green house.
I think it was from this past Fall.
I found that interesting as well.

It would cost around $120 including shipping to purchase the book from Spain.

I will be going to Spain and Italy in May.  I may pick up a couple of copies to bring home with me.  If I can find some for 20€-25€ or less, I will probably pick up a few copies, and would be happy to distribute to interested members at cost + shipping.

Sat,

If I was going to spain and itally, the last thing I would bring back is this book. I would take small boxes with labels to ship stuff back!

Jason,

I'm in for one book. Let me know what it costs in us dollars.

-Little John

also, spanish fig cuttings can be discretely mailed to me as well. haha

Haha!   Cuttings are a given.  Books are a side project.  I emailed a close friend of mine in Sabadell today to let her know my wife and I were coming.  I already tasked her with hunting for fig orchards, and asked her to look arond locally for copies of the book, as cheap as possible.  I'm trying to prepare several months in advance ;)

To those who've provided me cuttings/plants, or I've sent cuttings to, expect that I may have some extras if you're interested.  I'm only hunting for varieties which may not be available in the US currently.

I assume that two days in Barcelona, and possibly one day in Valencia should provide me enough coastal fig hunting that i should be able to find something good.  After that, we're headed into colder weather, hanging in San Sebastian for a few days.

I'm really tempted to head up to Bordeaux nad dork around in France.  I've been wanting to score a VIOLET DE ARGENTEUIL for a long time now, and I have an amazing member whom I want to 'pay back' with this cutting as well..

Sat,

Be sure to log the location of the tree using GPS or street intersection for your records. I now do this for all my foreign figs. Nice to point someone to a tree!

If you are going to Spain, you might want to try to stop by monseratt pons' setup. Also, buy a package of padded mailers to take with you to ship stuff and make the weight lighter for mailing.

Jose,

Jason,

For using GPS with a Blackberry, there are two primary options: 1) internal or 2) external (Bluetooth enabled). This post is dated but provides useful information: http://www.blackberryinsight.com/2006/05/18/blackberry-and-gps/

JD

make sure you turn off the data while roaming if you use the gps in europe. Blackberries use assisted gps which means they base their location by looking up nearest tower. I work for T-mobile.

My Garmin Nuvi was a blessing when in Italy. If you have a Garmin you can order a SD card for Europe if it is not already in it. EBAY I just got Italy and Greece but you could get all Europe or buy a Garmin that has North America and Europe already loaded not that expensive

They should come up with a fig finder device, enter ficus carica and it shows you a route to the nearest one !

That's too easy...
it will start pointing people to my house....

Martin,

I really like your idea. Between the two forums, I suppose we could populate a database and then create "an app for that" web or device based executable that identifies known public fig tree locales or fig lovers places or people to visit...while in NM (like LosLunas). All kidding aside, this would be ideal for international travels to Spain, France, etc. For example, figs4funforumfodorsfigguideforfrance.exe.

JD

I have actually been wanting to do "heat maps" of local figs in my area using Google maps.  I know where about 2 dozen are at this point.  I think everyone should do this!

you all can do that using wikimapia....

What kind of geek am I, that I don't know about this?  ;)

I'm ashamed of myself!

Hi Bass,
I'll be in Spain during mid-late April.

Where in Spain will you be? It's a very big book, 450 pages. I doubt that all stores will carry it. Most likely it can be found in Catalonia region since it's in Catalan.
You're lucky...

Seems he has a facebook page where 1 can talk to him here is link if you scroll down you see several fig pictures.
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Montserrat-Pons-i-Boscana/100711893251&prev=/search%3Fq%3DLes%2BFIGUERES%2BA%2BLES%2BILLES%2BBA LEARS%2Bby%2BMontserrat%2BPons%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1 R2ADRA_enUS363%26sa%3DG&rurl=translate.google.com&usg=ALkJrhg8qKnxOPN5yATtltNbBTX1P4Th1Q

Great link, now I finally know what Bass looks like! Before I've only seen pictures of his hands. BTW, nice hands Bass.

-Little John

Bass, I'll be in Barcelona for 3 days. Believe me, I have tried to figure if I could take an early morning flight to Palma de Mallorca and back before my 415pm flight to another part of Spain.
One idea for people who will be spending time in Spain might think about: 
The two online sales sites [in Spain] I have seen for this book will ship it within Spain for 8-9€. So if they have a friend/relative who can receive the mailed book and hold it for them until they arrive, it would reduce the shopping cost immensely. 
However, if it is shipped to the friend/relative's home or business that's great, but if it means that the friend/relative has to go wait in a post office line to get the package, they might [understandably] not be so hot on the idea

In my case, my friend in Madrid is already holding something I bought on ebay.es a few weeks ago [used espresso machine same brand as I have used daily for 9 years]:

Good News folks:


Bass posted a message about Montserrat having a new web page [and it came in on Monserrat's Facebook page]

I saw this on his Llibre [book] page:
[  http://www.sonmutnou.com/llibre.htm  ]

Próximament...

ESTAM TREBALLANT PER PASSAR EL LLIBRE A FORMAT ELECTRÒNIC

Which [I am pretty sure] means

"We are working to convert the book to electronic format"

That's incredible news.

Hello to all!

I'm Monserrat Pons from Spain, and I'm admired with all the comments you have in this forum about my job!  You know a lot about me...

I never can imagine that my job would be worldwide!

I start my job 14 years ago with ancient varieties of fig trees in risk of genetic erosion and I recovered and new ones will be discovered as well, incorporating them into the experimental field called Son Mut Nou.

First, I started only recovering the fig trees of the Balearic Islands, then we follow with the Mediterranean varieties and now I'm searching worldwide! Our goal is keeping varieties of fig trees on the islands, which belongs to our culture and history.

And to get the book, I want to explain you, the book now is selling in Spain, and in internet for international buyers, but the problem is the weight of the heavy book and the shipping costs are higher than the price of the book, this is the problem. If anyone of you will go to Spain, I can tell where they can find the book and bring to the US without paying the shipping costs. Or if any of you have a shipping company like UPS, you can bring here in Spain and then you pay your shipping costs to your company.

Thanks!

Monserrat Pons

Now we are working to translate the web page to the english, because a lot of people ask me in this language.

You can download in the web a pdf file of the first part of the book, about the experimental field, and we are working to put more, but it's a difficult job.

Hi Monserrat_pons,
Nice of you to come and post to the forum.
My wife was born in San tan der moved to Illanes and moved to Madrid when 11 years old at 14 her family came to the states. Me born in chicago my parents from Italy.
Always nice to hear from people for different parts of the world such as you here on the forum.
Best Health

Monserrat,
we appreciate all the work you did. Thank you for sharing all the information you have on figs.

Monserrat,

I will be in Baracelona for a couple of days in May.  I will then drive through Aragon, Pamplona and then stay in San Sebastian for many days, before leaving through Madrid.

If you can tell me some place in San Sebastian (near old part of town) to find your book, I would appreciate this!

I think you can't find in San Sebastian, Jason, beacuse this book is not in the Basque country.

The pospter web, a bussiness near my pharmacy has the book to sell in internet:

http://www.popster.es/htm/llibrefigueres.htm

Thanks, where may I find it while I am in Barcelona?  Specifically, I will be near Sabadell, but it is possible to travel anywhere within 50km-75km to find something.

Yee Haa!
Very recently, them fig-gods, did bless me with Montserrat's fig book.
And wow, what a modern fig book it is...
Plenty of fig pictures; 56+33+61+6+9 = 165 fig varieties.
Book measures ~12x8x1 inches and weighing ~4lbs.
Paper is of the glossy type, good for the eyes (pics) , bad for shipping (weight).
Pity, I cannot read Spanish, though I can pick a word or 2; but the pics make it all up.
Most fig names are new to me, most probably a language thing?
Highly recommended...

George im not good with computers but i wonder if there was a way for your eyes only to read if you could somehow photo copy them pages onto hardrive then use online translator and print out  450 pages .

You would be doing that though to the next century.

Maybe some computer guru knows of a easy way.

Best Health

No way I can do 450 pages!
(besides, it is copyright-illegal).
Even before you mentioned this,
(sensing some curious minds)
I was thinking about  how to "scan" a two page section,
"typical" of one (of the 165) fig different varieties.
That should be just enough as a [legal] "preview" shot.
I'll see what I can come up with, be patient, I am not
too much of PC savvy guy...

George  thats why i said "for your eyes only"  450 pages would be cumbersome to do for sure or 225 if double shot still is a lot but more do able.
If i had new my wifes language i would have bought that book just out of curiosity and some good reading which im sure it has.
Darn im just too stu nod ( dumb ) to learn another language .

Martin, sorry for the misunderstanding...
Working on a typical 2 page scan thing --- not easy!

Congrats Gorgi,
You see what I mean about this book?
It is not Spanish, it's Catalan it's written in.
The same fig gods blessed both of us.

Sorry for the poor quality scans! After a lot of effort;
this the best I can do - just enough to satisfy
any monkey-curious-george (as myself!)
to get a very basic idea/pic...

This is the "De La Reina" (Of the Queen) fig.
(note that there 2 scan/pics - click 1st right then 2nd left).

The best I can translate.
De la Reina

Grown in the fields between the olive groves, and surrounded by mountains.
The tree attains a great development, with a rounded crown. Has thick and long branches with very dense foliage. Have a long periods of harvest, and produces two crops, Brebas and main crop.

The figs are long conical in shape, they’re large, showy and stylish. They’re symmetrical in form. They are a dark color with purple or red neck with prominent cracks in the skin that is thin and soft to the touch. The flesh is light red and very tasty sweet and juicy. It is very resistant to rain and dew.

The leaves are mostly pentalobades and there are less than trilobades. margins are very marked, with an acute angle petiole.
The De la Reina fig originated in the grounds of the hermitage east.
For the appearance, quality and excellence of the Figs, they are worthy of being called The Queen, “De la Reina”.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b172/Bassgarden/delareina-crop.jpg[/IMG]

Does anyone know if there is a way to get any of the products that Montserrat Pons i Boscana sells....even a tshirt?

I conversed with Monserrat by email today. He said that a translation of his book from Catalan into Spanish is underway. 

Good to know. He is also working on a new book on varieties from other regions as well. 

You can order here.  76.50 Euros with shipping, so about $100. 450 pages and a ton of photos.

Because the currently available edition of the book is written in Catalan [which is more closely-related to French than Spanish]  and a Spanish version is coming,...if I wanted a copy of the book for *reading purposes*, I might wait until the Spanish edition is available. It is a visual masterpiece, so if someone mainly wanted it for the pictures, perhaps the Catalan version would suffice

  I will talk to Monserrat and ask if he has an idea of when his book will be available in Spanish. 

Espero que la traducción esté lista para la Navidad! Voy a escribir una carta a Santa Claus y ser muy bueno y practicar mi español, por el momento :)

Since my Spanish is no better than my Catalan, it really didn't matter.

Here is a link to a short article in English about the book and Son Mut Nou:
http://mallorcaphotoblog.com/2011/10/01/the-wondrous-world-of-figs/
Here is a link to a PDF of the poster in the article:
http://miro.palmademallorca.es/documentos/D_198.pdf
A short excerpt from the article:

A total of 1,616 fig trees grow on the extended 15 hectares [37 acres] of
this finca, fig trees of a total of 367 fig varieties, of which 251 are
indigenous to Mallorca.  ...  I am told that Son Mut Nou is the place with
the largest number of fig varieties anywhere in the world.

Hi to all! Bass, Paul and more friends! I'm the son of monserrat and we have good notices for you, we have the book translated to spanish, but now is in the printing process, maybe in 2 weeks we have the book. We do a ebook version too and we sell in DvD for the worldwide customers. We can contact me at bpons@sonmutnou.com or sonmutnou.com or facebook fan page