Fig of the week. Gillette Fig. AKA Croisic,
Cordelia, St. John
Hardiness: Hardy to the Seattle Area Zone 7B
. Grown Outdoors
Type: Bifere
Fruit Ripens: July and September
Fruit Color: Greenish Yellow with Yellowish Interior
Taste: When perfectly ripe it's like a mild almond joy candie bar
Fruit Weight: 50grams
Leaf Structure: 5 squat lobes
Note: super easy to root. Takes about 1 to 2 weeks to see roots
The Croisic or
Gillette fig is a Caprifig having male flowers and may have some pollen.
It produces a heavy crop of medium to large green figs which ripen to
greenish yellow or yellow with a good quality, sweet, clear flesh. A
vigorous, productive and moderately cold hardy tree that is a good
choice for the Northwestern US. Late season ripening.
It is interesting to note that the majority of the literature we have
on this fig denote the quality of the figs as being very good and very
sweet, whereas Dr. Ira Condit mentions in his "Figs - A Monograph" that
the pulp is "insipid, lacking in sugar". Croisic was apparently sold as
Gillette after the Gillett Nursery in Nevada City, California and has
been grown in Oregon and Washington since the 1930's.
The Croisic or Gillette fig is also known by the names Cordelia , Pingo de Mel, and St. John according to Dr. Ira Condit.
My Personal Opinion:
After tasting these right off the tree at various stage of ripens, I find that it goes through a couple of flavor profiles. To achieve maximum sweetness you have to let this wilt on the branch. The taste is mild just not too sweet. It has a fluffy thick skin which gives it a bland but marshmallow texture. If you pick anytime before prime ripeness do not expect any sweetness from it, but when ripe it has a coconut and nutty taste to it. It's almost insipid if you do not let it ripen completely.
Photos taken By Ben B.
