I have been intrigued by what looked like a fig tree growing in someone's yard in Sodus,NY all summer long. I was curious as it gets pretty cold up there, yet the tree was growing in a shady part of the yard with little protection from the harsh winds they get off Lake Ontario in the winter. I drove by the house nearly every weekend we visited (I live about 5hrs South, but spend weekends at the lake). I kept hoping to see someone at the house to ask if it was a light or dark fig, but never saw anyone.
Today was our last full day at the lake and on our last drive by my friend who was driving pulled over and said... "You've driven by all summer, why not go ring the bell?" I figured it was someone's vacation home and I had just been missing them, but I gave it a go. I rang the door bell and to my surprise, an old Italian couple came to the door looking slightly frightened. I wasn't quite sure what to say... so I just blurted out "um, I saw your fig tree from the road and I thought I would stop by and see if you knew the history of it?" The old woman's face lit up with a huge smile. "Come in, come in!" she said!
We spent a while talking. Her husband had a hard time hearing, but was elated that the younger generation was interested in his Italian heritage. They explained to me that he was now 88 and his grandfather had brought the tree with him from Sicily over 120 years ago! Since then, the tree has been moved from house to house as they moved and finally settled in Sodus in the 1960s. They don't cover it and suffer very little if any dieback each year. This may be the fig I've been looking for, one that can survive the winter outside and still taste delicious! They were excited to have me taste them and had two in the fridge. They were spectacular! They were close to the flavor of my negronne, but for lack of better words, creamier with a more pronounced flavor. I asked the couple if they would be willing to let me take a cutting and the old man hopped up like a teenager and grabbed his clippers and was out the back door with a big grin on his face! They sent me off with two large cuttings.
A great day... I got to meet a wonderful Italian couple and listen to a small part of their history as well as takea piece of it home with me to hopefully enjoy for years to come! Now the long wait of rooting, repotting, and growing the next couple of years to see how they do in PA! I took a few quick pics, but wish I had gotten some of the fruit on the trees. The ones in the fridge had dehydrated a bit and lost some of their color. Nick
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