My faith has been restored in this fig. The 1st ripe fig on this tree was a terrible. However this perfectly ripe KB was beyond incredible.
This is a berry flavor fig with hints of caramel the longer you let it ripen on the tree. The taste was awesome. Best yet on this tree. Add in the fact that it was a 71 gram main crop put this score on this fig as one of the highest so far.
Compared to the wimpy previous kathleens black this one is huge 71.4 grams
Now this is what I call a good looking Kathleen's Black. Almost ready to be picked.
This is from the same tree that produced this little guy.
This just shows the variances in fruit quality on the same fig tree. What does this mean exactly? Well maybe that it may be best to try multiple figs on a tree to fairly judge it.
Also I've noticed that once I pick a ripe fruit from a fig tree the next largest fig tends to benefit from the energy of the tree. So it's important now that as we get closer to fall to pick off the smaller figs that have no chance of ripening and to also pluck off the figs that are deformed. The energy from the tree will then be funneled to the figs left on the tree. Which should help them ripen sooner.
Main crops in early September is a bit early for Seattle. I know know, you folks from the south get main crops in June sometimes, and I'm quite jealous about that but here in Seattle. They show up in Sept and Oct.
1 Crop
I picked a ripe Main Crop Kathleen's Black on 9/5/18. Which is unusually early.
Last year this Kathleen's Black didn't produce a ripe fig until October. So 9/5/18 is really early for this fig.
It might also be the reason why this particular fig that I picked was somewhat disappointing.
It lacked that caramel flavor that I loved about it last year. It also wasn't as sweet and the size was disappointingly small.
All of these characteristics though could be attributed to the fact that this might not be one of the better figs off of this tree. The finicky thing about figs is that it can favor the develop of one fig on the tree while aborting others on the same branch. I saw this on my Granthams Royal last year.
It was the strangest thing to see only one large fig while the others shrunk and withered. Check it out here.
Grantham's Royal 2017
This KB tasted a little acidic to me but not in a good sense. More of like it was beginning to turn. below average sweetness and lack of caramel flavor. I'm hoping the next ripe figs will be more on par with my expectations.
Sadly the 3 figs picked today (Kathleen's Black, Florea, and Palermo Sicily) were disappointing. Now it's only early September so these may not have ripened properly. I'm sure they will get better as the month progresses. I already see some tasty looking ones on the tree.
Just a little guy at 11.9 Grams
Kathleen's Black (9/5/18) - Not the best one off of this tree
Fig Tasting: Kathleen's Black, Wuhan & LSU Champagne + A Critter problem
All of these figs are new to me this year. I would've had a handful of others to taste this year but there's a critter in my yard that has developed a taste for my figs. And it's done a significant amount of damage.
Here's a list of the figs that it has eaten:
1. Black Madeira
2. Pellegrino
3. LSU Gold
4. Hmari
5. Florea
6. Black Spanish
7. Dan's Favorite
8. Flanders
9. Preto
10. Brandon Unk
11. Vista
12. King
All this time I've been thinking some of these trees just do not do well and are not fruiting. When in reality this critter has been making a meal out of my expensive figs.
I purchased this fig because my friend David Eden said it made the Chicago Hardy taste like pig fodder. I happen to like Chicago Hardy. So this fig must be amazing. Well it took a few yrs to finally get a ripe fruit. It's on the cusp of being a late fig. In my book anything that ripens in mid October and later can be considered late in Seattle. Our heat units are lower (between 38-60F), days are shorter, and the figs are closing in on dormancy.
It was worth the wait. I was expecting a black strawberry jammy fig. Which kinda describes hundreds of varieties figs out there. However this guy had a hint of caramel. I think it could've been sweeter too but it hasn't been hot enough to get it to optimal sweetness.
However the distinct caramel taste of this fig makes it a keeper. It's not the most productive fig but the flavor is unique which makes me like it even more.
LSU Champagne (10/15/17) 3yr Old Plant 1 Crop
Taste: 6.5
Sweetness: 5.5
Size: 2 (19.9G)
Productivity: 1
Total = 14
I'm on the fence about the LSU Champagne. It ranks very averagely for me. The flavor has a slight winey fermented taste to it, which is probably how it derived it's name. I'll keep it for another year but doubt if it's a variety I'll keep in the long run unless it changes it flavor profile drastically next year.
I was commenting on my Fig Addiction group on Facebook about how I love the taste of the Chicago Hardy. My friend David Eden chimed in and I quote: "Ben,
if you like Hardy Chicago, then you might like the following remark
from one of the original founders of the fig movement, Gene Hosey:
"This, is when Gene told me that once I tasted Kathleen's Black, I would
feed Chicago Hardy to the pigs. I thought
that was very high praise coming from some one with as many figs as
Gene has." Unfortunately my Kathleen's back only has one fig this year
after 2 1/2 years of growth, since it has the unusual behavior of
needing 3-4 years to start producing. I can't wait to taste it though.
Here is the page I quoted from: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/.../kathleens...
Also: "HC when picked just right is amazing. But make sure you're
sitting down when you bite into one KB because that fig may make you
pass out!"
I
put mine in ground a few weeks ago. I'm hoping it will be ok here in
Philly this winter, with protection that is of course. I got one fig
from my tree last year and it was delicious. Once this tree is producing
regularly, I may just dispose of a couple others, it was that good!
figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com"
Well that peaked my curiosity so I did some research on Kathleen's black. It's a late black fig that ripens in Oct here. There is also another fig named Noire de Caromb that is suppose to be the same as Kathleen's Black. Well I ended up buying both. If this fig is tastier than Chicago Hardy I must have it. Stay tuned for updates.
