Hey all,

I'm still learning the ropes of all the different varieties of figs, and still thinking about which varieties I'd like to get my hands on some day.  Rather than a "best fig" or "favorite fig," I thought I'd opt for something more creative to help me learn.

So here goes...

What is the most unique fig you own and why?  What makes it special or interesting?

Criteria can be fig color, flavor, growing habits, size, leaf patterns/colors, rarity, or anything else you can think of.  Feel free to list as much info as you want about it...its just part of the learning experience for me.

It's fairly common, but Panachee. It's pretty, and it tastes good. :)


(Photo from the Internet)

Now I can say I own, because ( proudly) I have rooted 4 and shared about 12 cuttings.

   

What is that Aaron?

Daniel, some friends from the forum said it might be Melanzana Calabrese... I am hoping it is, because they are supposed to be very tasty figs.

I've not seen any elongated figs like that.  Pretty nifty.

Here's another Unique one from my collection that 18 forum members already have.
The uniqueness is in changes of color during the ripening season, with the taste that matches the looks.
Pretty decorative if you ask me ;)

   

Aaron, what's the second one? The colors are amazing.

Melanzana Calabrese = LdA ( = Niagara Black = Nordland). Or so similar as to not matter.

Aaron:

That's the prettiest fig I've seen. Is it really that tasty?

[QUOTE=fignutty]Aaron:

That's the prettiest fig I've seen. Is it really that tasty?[/QUOTE]

Melanzana means "eggplant" in Italian.

[QUOTE=Joe_Athens1945][QUOTE=fignutty]Aaron:

That's the prettiest fig I've seen. Is it really that tasty?[/QUOTE]

Melanzana means "eggplant" in Italian.[/QUOTE]

OK, don't need that one...:-)

[QUOTE=fignutty][QUOTE=Joe_Athens1945][QUOTE=fignutty]Aaron:

That's the prettiest fig I've seen. Is it really that tasty?[/QUOTE]

Melanzana means "eggplant" in Italian.[/QUOTE]

OK, don't need that one...:-)[/QUOTE]

That's the long one, not the photoshopped one. LdA aka M.C. is delicious!

Good topic brettjm!
For me my brunswick because of the leaf patern and the abandance of fruit with an also unique flavor it produces!

By the way thanks for sharing the beautiful pics Gina and Aaron. Amazing looking figs.

Kelby, is that really photoshopped???? :/)

[QUOTE=rafaelissimmo]Kelby, is that really photoshopped???? :/)[/QUOTE]

I hope so or else I better get my eyes checked! ;)

It would be nice to see what they actually look like.

An unknown black fig I traded for.  It has become one of my favourites.
It was supposed to be Capelas but it turned out to be a medium size black fig, sweet with great berry taste. 
The small 3yr old plant produced 7 brebas and a main crop this year.  Where most other figs were slow to break dormancy and didn't produce any figs.

     

Travis,
the second one is the "Sultani" Fig from Persia from early 80's.

Steve,
It really does taste good, very intense and complex with a touch of berry underlying taste.

Edit: It will need a lot of sun for the color show though.

and...NO, it is not photoshopped, :)

Chrisk, thank you.

I think Kelby referred to Melanzana Calabrese from Post #3 and #5

Hello Aaron.

You have Melanzana Calabrese.
Please send  me an e-mail peak42 on the fig forum
Phil from Northern Ohio

Phil,
thanks for the confirmation.

Aaron, photo shopped is kind of a generic description.  So are you saying those pics have not been enhanced and are purely representative of the fruit?  Just trying to learn.

Keith,
The tree will produce clusters of figs like that and since it's a big cluster, you'll see different stages of ripening. So, and the entire cluster will go through color changes from Green to Hot Pink blushes then to Orangy Green with pink stripes until it starts darkening into purple and bluish purple and sometimes the stripes look lighter purple or dark red.

This is what the final product looks like when ready and ripe.

   

Here I found another early season picture 
 

This is just an amazing tree Aaron! Is it available for trade or sale? Thanks in advance!

[QUOTE=dirtguy50]Aaron, photo shopped is kind of a generic description.  So are you saying those pics have not been enhanced and are purely representative of the fruit?  Just trying to learn.[/QUOTE]

Don't waste your time, Chris. You won't get a truthful answer.

I cant say if the pic was 'photoshopped'. I'm not a real expert on photography, but sometimes the software inside of digital cameras can give that kind of grainy, almost artificial color in certain light - glare can cause that I think.

Cameras these days have so many preset "exposure settings" that is likely the case here as Ed says. Look at the upper left area of that last pic with the leaves in the background outlined in black. Obviously that is not natural.

That must be one of those Rimada varieties is it Aaron?

Thanks Kelby! The fruit pics look pretty natural in color! Like the guys said it looks like the camera was on a setting more suited to indoor than direct sunlight! Maybe one or several of the 18 members that already have this variety(according to Aaron) can come forward with their own pics or testimonial of some short just for comparison purposes . It looks like a good and productive tree regardless !

Tyler that is definitely NOT a rimada or variegated fig. Let's be clear on that. Whatever else it is, it is not a documented fig and comes from someone with a known history as a beginner and exaggerator, so let's slow down the hero worship.

[QUOTE=eboone]I cant say if the pic was 'photoshopped'. I'm not a real expert on photography, but sometimes the software inside of digital cameras can give that kind of grainy, almost artificial color in certain light - glare can cause that I think.[/QUOTE]

Not so Kelby.  Nobody around here has fig trees.  The only fig available are dryed figs in the health food stores.  I am trying to learn how much different figs look like.  Are some really that bright and colorful like flowers for example.  I assume the better climate for figs will generally produce better and less stressed trees which might explain the differences.  Just asking is all.

[QUOTE=rafaelissimmo]Tyler that is definitely NOT a rimada or variegated fig. Let's be clear on that. Whatever else it is, it is not a documented fig and comes from someone with a known history as a beginner and exaggerator, so let's slow down the hero worship.[/QUOTE]

I didn't realize my reply asking if it was a rimada suggested I was worshiping anyone because "let me be clear on that".... I wasn't.

I don't mean to pile on, but before people start fighting over this mystery I think they should see this. I used Google image search to find other versions of the image in question.

Here is Aaron's image posted above


And here is the image as originally posted 4 months ago http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=6992117


This is a game that gets played here, called: every thread revolves around Aaron.

It would have been easy enough to admit the image had been edited, he is enjoying all the attention.

Good work Brent.

Well whatever it is.. it looks interesting.

Tyler, am sorry, did not mean to suggest it was only you, I was referring to the tenor of various comments from different people.

looks awesome Brent, thanks.
Looks just like the pic in my profile. I don't know where that on is.

NP Rafael ;)   its all good

[QUOTE=tylerj]Cameras these days have so many preset "exposure settings" that is likely the case here as Ed says. Look at the upper left area of that last pic with the leaves in the background outlined in black. Obviously that is not natural.

That must be one of those Rimada varieties is it Aaron?[/QUOTE]Tyler,
I don't know exactly what or how much stripes needed to qualify the fig for Rimada group but surely has striped that make it even more interesting.
I still think this is a very unique variety.
I'm going to send few of this, among other ones, to UCDavis to add to their collection.

Guys I don't want this to be the center of attention , lets keep other pics coming and post it in the thread.
Thanks

As I said, some people think a pretty foto entitles them to fig rock star status. The only way a 1st year grower could even be aware of such phenomena would be by following events in this forum, and attempting to emulate earlier fig "finds" and craving the attention that said person lacks and perhaps envies of others who have come before. Such hubris! A rimada can only come from Spain. It probably should be from Mallorca. If there is no documented Spanish origin for a fig, the amount of stripes is totally irrelevant. So a fig does not "qualify" by the number of stripes, that is a red herring.

hoorayyyy for Rafaelissimo, his expertise on fig pictures and hunger to hate towards humanity just surpass anybody's knowledge and desire to share in the forum. Bravo!!

[QUOTE=Aaron4USA]hoorayyyy for Rafaelissimo, his expertise on fig pictures and hunger to hate towards humanity just surpass anybody's knowledge and desire to share in the forum. Bravo!![/QUOTE]

Oh, shush. You got caught in a lie. Again.

It is the right time and place now to say...
How about  the figs.......

Keep it friendly, please.

Akram, I bought some figs at Wegmans yesterday.  Glad they had 'em... they're those Western Fresh Marketing clamshell packs of california brown turkey.  Not bad actually.

I will add that if more threads were about figs, rather than about juvenile tripe from newbs who don't know diddly, I'd probably come around here on this forum again more often.  Even the threads that start out being about figs seem to be invaded by tripe slingers.

So, in response to the original question posed in this thread:
My trees are all in for the winter.  Not sure I know which one is "most unique".  (I'm not real sure what "most unique" means... unique is unique, so "most unique" seems to have some kind of built in redundancy or contradiction or something.  But no matter, the intent is clear enough).  But I'll tell you my most unusual fig:  It's the Peter's Honey tree I've got.  It seems to make a lot of doubled and tripled figs... meaning 2 or 3 figs at each leaf node.  Sometimes it has made some unusual "conjoined twin" fruit.  Also occasionally makes a "fig inside of a fig" sort of formation, just a little bit like those pictures of the fabled/mythical variety that will go unnamed here.  There's a picture in this other thread of some of the figs on my tree, including the conjoined twins:
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/september-chill-black-and-green-maltese-falcon-and-peters-honey-7091345?highlight=siamese&pid=1284404500#post1284404500

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

The fig that really stood out for me this year was 143-36, aka Emerald Strawberry. It had a very different taste, with a a sweet berry flavor and plenty of acid to balance it and a strong coconut smell and flavor on top of that. The last figs I picked did have a bit of bitterness as I have heard mentioned of this variety, but really it didn't distract from the flavor. It is the most unusual fig I've tried so far. I really like it. Mike in Hanover, VA

In praise of 143-36, I agree with Mike. Besides what Mike said, it is bigger than medium in size, ripened relatively early for me in Zone 5a. It is a keeper for me.

I believe 143-28 is showing similar trend but it was the first year it ripened though a bit later. May be it will catch up with 143-36 when the plant matures.

Personally, I think all of my figs are unique.  I currently have only 4 varieties growing with one more variety rooting.  But to me each one is it's own treasure. 

and why am I being called a lier? Because there is a strong contrast on the picture? Are you serious Shelby?
Or did I try to push a Brown turkey for a Madeira Black, ?
The bottom line is it's a unique fig and you can't deny it, NOR you can have it! :)

When was the last time you posted something worthy of reading,  unusual to admire at or something positive to inspire  folks around here? Show me!

i'm done with this.

*****************

Figs anyone? :)

3 varieties of the Armenians I have. Small Eye, Medium Eye and Large Eye. Same taste same size.
     

I love your Melanzana. It looks fantastic