I realized there wasn't a whole lot posted about some of mario's great Italian figs. I hope you don't mind me starting this thread on the Salce Mario.

Here are a few additional pics of this one. These pictures are from  the immature tree that I have:

Here are a couple of closeups of one of the fruit that seemed to be a little deformed. Sort of a double flower I guess:

I like people pushing [E: white] figs...

Thank you George. 

Thanks, Bill. I'm glad for this info and the pix. I wil be starting some of these cuttings and it is fun to know a little more about them.

You're welcome Susan. I look forward to this one producing again next season (if all goes according to plan). With a little TLC maybe it will produce larger figs and more of them :-) .

Bill, do you know if this tree is cold hardy at all?

Well, here's the scoop on that:

This is not just a white fig. It is the most tastiest fig you will ever eat. All other figs don't hold a candle to this one. This fig was considered a delicacy when i was a boy and my dad would pick it so we could eat it fresh. All other figs were picked and fed to the pigs. Salce is the only name i know for it, and it is in dialect. This fig is becoming rare even in my hometown. I would like to see as many people as possible grow this fig. This year i have given Bill all my cuttings in the hope that they will get to as many people as possible. 

Mario I simply cannot wait to meet up with you this year. 

I'm glad you added those comments Mario. Helps to clarify some more on what this fig is like.

Wow, another gem. Good to know it is in North America. Thanks for sharing this fig info. Hope Martin takes note on this WHITE fig quality.

can someone tell little more about this fig? i have heard this is very good fig. anyone had chance to taste it? is it figgy? berry taste? i'm looking forward to finding more about this fig.

pete

Mario....re: the name "Salce"....can you translate the name, or, give us an idea what the name means?

Thanks,
Frank

franks,

i searched "salce" in italian dictionary, but i'm not finding any specific match. only thing i found "salce" is in polish dictionary saying this means "room of". maybe "salce" is some sort of informal expression?

pete

Mario did say it was dialect. Many regions in Italy have their own dialect and Sicilian is even considered an entirely seperate language. I know a few terms, but this isn't one I am familiar with.

Salce is a relatively common surname in Puglia.

Salice in Italian means willow but salce is a dialect of my hometown. It doesn't mean nothing its just a name the old people give this fig. All figs that come from my hometown are only known in dialect, because when i was a boy that is all that we spoke. When i got to 1st grade in school that is when i started to learn how to speak the real Italian. I have different variety of figs but i only know them by dialect names. Last year i identified 2 one was a triana calabrese and the other was paradiso nero. I have probably eaten more figs than any man alive, but nothing tastes as good as salce,that is why i wanted to spread this fig all over the USA. A lot of people get on here and name figs whatever they want but i would like to keep the figs to their true origins and name them what they should be named not Mario this and Mario that.

Hello Mario,

This fig tastes good, but what kind of good?  Is it like honey, or does it have that fig flavor like the Atreano?  Or, does it taste like another fruit?

What is it that makes you say it's the best fig you have ever tasted?  This fig sounds intriguing, now.

You are a true figman, Mario.

noss

Hey noss. 

Bill, have you heard of the Atrina  fig. I know there is an Adrina fig describe in Adriano's web site. Herman2 have id that as very similar to Kadota/Texas White Everbearing. The only Trina fig that I have come across is White Triana from J. Morle. It would interesting to know more of both Atrina and Trina Calabrese as well as Paradiso Nero. Hope this season Mario can post some pic's of Paradiso Nero and Triana Calabrese.

So do you have a waiting list for Salce cuttings?  Or want to trade or sell small plants?  :)

Is the eye open or tight?  When does it usually ripen?

Thank-you Mario...

nice to read about the background, and naming of a variety that has exceptional qualities.

Hope those who have this fig variety will give out plenty of wood for propagation to other growers to enjoy.

Frank

Bill i didn't spell the name correctly it should be troiano calabrese ,you should be able to see a picture of it on www.ficuscarica. Noss this fig has what i would call a honey peachy taste real sweet and when it's ripe it oozes honey drops on the bottom. I am not good at giving descriptions but like i said this is my favorite. I wish every fig grower had one but i am not into shipping as i don't have the time . Most of the time i work out of town and only come home on weekends. Frank those were hard times when i was a boy in the old country, but they were also the happiest times of my life. I remember picking figs by the bucket and trowing them over the fence for the pigs to eat, but when the salce was ripe and the honey started coming out the bottom and they started to crack i would climb the tree and sit on a big branch and eat until i was ready to bust. Sorry about all the rambling but i wish everyone on this site could climb on a big fig tree and eat all they could.

Thanks for the clarification Mario.

Hey Mario and Bill!  Just wanted to say a quick hello.   Looking forward to the meet-n-greet-n-eat at some point this year.   And of course, some plant swapping!

Sara

Bill , i have already eaten a few figs this week .This year for the first time i should have two crops , i believe this year we should get together a little sooner than we did last year . I should have a bunch of salce figs this year as my outside trees never died back and the ones in the greenhouse are touching the ceiling, and putting out a bunch of figs.Sara i still got your fig tree it is growing like crazy and needs to go in a bigger pot.

This variety sounds very interesting to me. I wonder if it might handle the zone7b winter in ground well. I am in northwest Georgia.

Mario what province of Italy are you from?

I am interested in Italian figs as my wife has Italian heritage.

Womack i come from the Molise region it used to be Abruzzi Molise until the region was split up. These figs ought to do well in ground in Georgia. Molise is a mountainous region and we used to get light snow and light frost every year and they never died. If you ever come to Kentucky come and see me and i will give you all the cuttings you want.

Mario,

Thanks, Mario, and I also wish everyone could climb a large fig tree and stuff themselves with figs until they couldn't hold any more.  As far as I'm concerned, you can ramble on about figs all you want.  The more, the better.  ;)

The Salce fig sounds lushious.  I think you did a fine job of describing the flavor.

noss

Mario,

I am grateful for your invitation to visit and for the offering of cuttings. It sounds like your region of Italy has some similarities to my home.

How far are you from Nashville?

Womack, i live 2 hrs north of Nashville. This invite is extended to any fig nut that comes by here, as long as figs are for personal use and not for resale.

I love your good story about growing up with this fig.  Hope I can get on your list for trade of any cuttings at end of season.  I wonder how many fig trees I'll end up with.  Too many good descriptions on this forum.  

Mario,
I have some relatives in Nashville. A side trip to your place would work out well. What is the best time of year for cuttings?. I will be in touch.

Womack,

Can someone please post some photos of salce leaves?

Slingha here you go! if you didn't get a salce fig i will send you one.

Mario,

These are the 4 different leaves from Uncle Luigi plants. If you could ID id appreciate it.

The leaves do look different from Mario's Salce fig.

Pauly,

IMHO I dont see a salce fig amongst them, but I also don't think that they are all the same fig.

I agree no matches there. Of course I am terrible at fig id. Hey Herman!!

I went to the web site( http://www.ficuscarica.com) WOW!! How many different types are there?  How many cross reference to our "Domestic" figs.

No wonder ID is so hard.

Danny K
Marshall tx

There is no salce there i can't identify them unless you get a fig and a leaf and put them next to each other. You should have gotten at least 3 or 4 .different kind of figs which anybody would love to have in their collection. 

Mario,

It doesn't matter what I got, just curious. Spending an hourwitty uncle Luigi was fun.  

Salce is Italian regional dialect for salice. It means "willow" and might refer to the name of a place where the fig was found or grown.

Thanks for sharing the joy Mario.   Got the cuttings and can't wait to get them going.  Some were starting to root in the bag already.