Noire de Barbentane .... Oh Yeah!!!

[Figgin' A]

These are the first figs from a 1st year tree, rooted last winter. Not quite as good as the VDS yesterday, but still were really, really good. A unique flavor; complex and interesting, albeit quite diluted. Still quite sweet, with lots of fruit/berry notes. Pleasant, lingering aftertaste. Both figs were bloated from the recent rains, but the refined pedigree still shone through. If you have it, you have it. You can tell it right away. A top tier fig. Not much damage from the rain. That's very important for our often humid and rainy climate. Anyone else growing it in the NE? How do you like compared to other top tier figs like BM, BG, WM#1, BNR, VDS, CDDs, etc. I think I like it more than my Craven's Craving.

@TorontoJoe You wondered about the hang time for this one. Mine swelled up on the 21st and were pretty ripe today, so 6 days hang time. Not bad.

 

[TorontoJoe]

Not a bad hang time... Those rains we got really sucked!

As you know... I am growing this but as you know... it's turned colour and still just hanging and hanging with no sign of swelling. Perhaps a blessing with the rain we've had. I'll be sure to post anything I ripen.

Speaking of which.... I'm embarking on a fall experiment to stretch the season a bit... I'm hoping things slow down at work and I can get it up and share some details this week

 

[Figgin' A]

Not a bad hang time... Those rains we got really sucked!

As you know... I am growing this but as you know... it's turned colour and still just hanging and hanging with no sign of swelling. Perhaps a blessing with the rain we've had. I'll be sure to post anything I ripen.

Speaking of which.... I'm embarking on a fall experiment to stretch the season a bit... I'm hoping things slow down at work and I can get it up and share some details this week

Not bad at all, especially given the cooler weather. I did not expect that. Another one that turned color and swelled up a day later ripened today. Also 6 days. Seems pretty consistent so far.

Do you remember when figlets formed on yours? You may be able to get an estimated ripening date based on mine, given that we are in the same climate.

Mine went from this on June 8th

to full ripening in 110 days for the first two and 111 days for the other one. Interestingly, the one at the very bottom ripened after the two above it.

Looking forward to the details of your season stretching experiment. I tried, but did not like the results or the hassle associated with it. Maybe I didn't do it right. I am sure I didn't

 

[ETXfigs]

I have a first year VdS but it's not doing much, maybe next year.

 

[TorontoJoe]

Not bad at all, especially given the cooler weather. I did not expect that. Another one that turned color and swelled up a day later ripened today. Also 6 days. Seems pretty consistent so far.

Do you remember when figlets formed on yours? You may be able to get an estimated ripening date based on mine, given that we are in the same climate.

Mine went from this on June 8th

to full ripening in 110 days for the first two and 111 days for the other one. Interestingly, the one at the very bottom ripened after the two above it.

Looking forward to the details of your season stretching experiment. I tried, but did not like the results or the hassle associated with it. Maybe I didn't do it right. I am sure I didn't

I'm just planning it and already not liking the hassle. I'm taking the day off Tuesday to get caught up on some of this stuff.

 

[Figgin' A]

I have a first year VdS but it's not doing much, maybe next year.

Interesting. My first year VDS isn't doing much either. Very disappointing growth. The graft, on the other hand, is doing quite well. Vigorous and very healthy. I am going to get a cutting from it and root it this winter. Hopefully I can get a really good tree from it. I love this variety, even though I only tried one fig.

 

[Figgin' A]

I'm just planning it and already not liking the hassle. I'm taking the day off Tuesday to get caught up on some of this stuff.

Yeah, the hassle, the difficulty to control temps, which may be unique to my setup, and hence figs ripening too fast and not tasting as good, and the risk of bringing pests like spider mites inside, which can and probably will bite you in the butt next spring...

 

[Figgerlickinggood]

These are the first figs from a 1st year tree, rooted last winter. Not quite as good as the VDS yesterday, but still were really, really good. A unique flavor; complex and interesting, albeit quite diluted. Still quite sweet, with lots of fruit/berry notes. Pleasant, lingering aftertaste. Both figs were bloated from the recent rains, but the refined pedigree still shone through. If you have it, you have it. You can tell it right away. A top tier fig. Not much damage from the rain. That's very important for our often humid and rainy climate. Anyone else growing it in the NE? How do you like compared to other top tier figs like BM, BG, WM#1, BNR, VDS, CDDs, etc. I think I like it more than my Craven's Craving.

@TorontoJoe You wondered about the hang time for this one. Mine swelled up on the 21st and were pretty ripe today, so 6 days hang time. Not bad.

You really enjoy torturing everyone don’t you, . All kidding aside they are BEAUTIFUL. You could sell these for $10 each.

 

[Figgin' A]

You really enjoy torturing everyone don’t you, . All kidding aside they are BEAUTIFUL. You could sell these for $10 each.

Oh, is that what y'all think? I'll stop

Only $10 each? I was thinking this rare slanted flat shape BNR should sell for at least $50 per cutting

 

[Figgerlickinggood]

Not a bad hang time... Those rains we got really sucked!

As you know... I am growing this but as you know... it's turned colour and still just hanging and hanging with no sign of swelling. Perhaps a blessing with the rain we've had. I'll be sure to post anything I ripen.

Speaking of which.... I'm embarking on a fall experiment to stretch the season a bit... I'm hoping things slow down at work and I can get it up and share some details this week

It rained pretty heavy here most of the day yesterday. We actually were under a flood watch. We were glad though because we had no rain for over a month. One thing I can say with all that rain we got, for the first time I was glad I had no figs on my trees.

 

[Figgerlickinggood]

Oh, is that what y'all think? I'll stop

Only $10 each? I was thinking this rare slanted flat shape BNR should sell for at least $50 per cutting

I wouldn’t be surprised if you got $200 for 3 cuttings. That’s how Lou Monti had his cuttings listed at auction, 3 cuttings for whatever price it reached at auction.

 

[Vitooch1]

What! Wait is it an early fig ? Looks syrupy just like a Bm and giant . I love figs with juicy skin types. The way i see the internal skin layer I already can tell you can eat this fig with skin.

 

[Figgin' A]

What! Wait is it an early fig ? Looks syrupy just like a Bm and giant . I love figs with juicy skin types. The way i see the internal skin layer I already can tell you can eat this fig with skin.

Not early, took slightly longer than I-258, but really good. Not as finicky as BM, much easier to grow and ripen.

 

[ETXfigs]

This video is the reason I bought my Violette de Sollies.

 

[TorontoJoe]

Yeah, the hassle, the difficulty to control temps, which may be unique to my setup, and hence figs ripening too fast and not tasting as good, and the risk of bringing pests like spider mites inside, which can and probably will bite you in the butt next spring...

Mine will be just a stretch into November. A friend of mine lent me a massive LED fixture that throws off crazy light. It's not grow specific and 5600k... but it's apparently crazy bright and doesn't run too hot. I got the light meter app so should be able to provide a sense of levels at different distances.

 

[Figgin' A]

Mine will be just a stretch into November. A friend of mine lent me a massive LED fixture that throws off crazy light. It's not grow specific and 5600k... but it's apparently crazy bright and doesn't run too hot. I got the light meter app so should be able to provide a sense of levels at different distances.

Nice. You'll get a better idea of how you want to design your spring headstarting setup. It's hard to see all the nuances before you start playing with it.

 

[Figgin' A]

This video is the reason I bought my Violette de Sollies.

The video is about NDB, not VDS. I presume you are implying that VDS is a synonym of NDB. Harvey seems to think so, too, though some growers believe that BN and VDS are synonyms, and NDB is a different variety. I have both VDS and NDB, and to me, they don't taste the same. I thought VDS was a better fig, with better flavor. My experience with both has been limited, though, and my opinion may change, but I thought I'd mention this anyway.

 

[ETXfigs]

The video is about NDB, not VDS. I presume you are implying that VDS is a synonym of NDB. Harvey seems to think so, too, though some growers believe that BN and VDS are synonyms, and NDB is a different variety. I have both VDS and NDB, and to me, they don't taste the same. I thought VDS was a better fig, with better flavor. My experience with both has been limited, though, and my opinion may change, but I thought I'd mention this anyway.

I thought all three are synonyms. I think I do remember Harvey saying that VDS and NDB are synonyms.

 

[Figless]

I thought so as well, but as usual @Figgin' A grows a fig tree that is just off the charts. I had a friend once who was a 6th generation Chinese Farmer's Daughter. She could do things horticulturally that no one else could do. She just had that magic touch. Our Canadian friend just has that magic touch too. Simply Amazing

 

[Figgin' A]

I thought all three are synonyms. I think I do remember Harvey saying that VDS and NDB are synonyms.

Here is what Harvey has as NDB's description on his cuttings page:

"Noir de Barbentane is a French variety that may be a synonym for Violette de Solliès and Bourjassotte Noire. Pierre Baud describes all three in his book on the same page and indicates they are very similar but that Noir de Barbentane is grown in another area and is earlier. However, the timing of the fruit seems about the same on our farm. They have an oblate shape and have a dark pulp with an intense berry flavor and moderate sweetness".

It looks like Harvey is not 100% certain and Pierre Baud thinks the two are very similar but not the same fig. Which supports my initial obeservation.