It's Breba season for figs and I literally feel like a kid in candy store. I've been extremely diligent about up potting all of my figs and putting them on a regular watering schedule and fertilization this year. So they are happy and giving back which makes me happy.
The Desert King is a staple here in Seattle. They are by far the most well rounded fig for this area. They love the weather here, have productive brebas, taste good, big, and incredibly reliable.
This one tipped the scales at 70grams. It is a greenhouse grown DK and has ripened about 3 weeks ahead of the in ground DKs.
Here it is in comparison to the Green Goliath. Dk is on the right. The branch is so heavily loaded it had to be leaned over and supported by the neighboring Panache.
The taste of Desert King is a like eating a mildy sweet strawberry Jam. The more ripe it gets the better it tastes. I like mine literally melting off of the branch.
It is such an enjoyable fig, I cannot get enough of them. That's why I have about 6 trees around the house.
Tasting Violette de Bordeaux, Florea, & Olympian Figs
The Brebas are winding down and these are about the last ones I'm picking off of my fig trees. Violette de Bordeaux
The Violet de Bordeaux 3rd yr in ground has finally hit it's maturity level. The figs are top notch this year in terms of taste. The color, texture, flavor and did I mention color of my VDBs this year were spectacular! The breba productivity kinda stunk though because I only pulled about 5 figs from this tree.
VDB for any Seattle grower should go in ground, you will be rewarded nicely with some of the best figs to eat.
This is a great fig! My 2yr old tree grown in a 2 gallon pot has proven to be incredibly productive. It had 10 figs on basically a single branch! I think it maybe a good candidate to go in ground here. It's definitely a keeper.
There's a real strong punch of sweetness and strawberry from the Florea. It's small but carries a big flavor stick.
Olympian
The Olympian has gotten better and better over the last couple of years. It definitely has adapted very well to the climate that we have here in the PNW. The brebas are large and very attractive with it's bright yellow necks.
The taste on these were less figgy than the Gene's Vashon, it was sweet and melony. My kind of fig. Very little seed crunch compared to the Gene's Vashon. I'm glad to have this guy in ground it will only get more productive with time.
Tasting Review of the Peter's Honey, Shiro Plum, Spartan Apple, Desert King, and Gene's Vashon
Peter's Honey Breba:
I think the Peter's honey grown in ground here in the PNW is a great compliment to other mild weather figs such as the Desert King, Vern's Brown Turkey, Olympian and VDB. What they have in common is that they all do well here in ground. But that's about it. The flavor profiles are so different and they all encompass the various flavors of figs. Berry tone (VDB), Melon Tone (Vern's BT), Honey tones (Peter's Honey), and the classic figgy taste (Olympian).
The Peter's Honey fig is such a sweet fig. It's like pure honey! Even on the breba the figs are super duper sweet. The breba I ate recently was so syrupy and thick with honey. I felt like I was going to get diabetes with each bite. All kidding aside Peter's honey is a great honey fig. The main crop may not ripen here but the breba's certainly make a great snack.
If you live in Seattle add this to your in ground collection.
I purchased this plum tree from a local seller. Her sells them out of his backyard. He's got great trees and for a fair price. It's been a superb grower in my yard. Very disease resistant and low maintenance.
The plums are very delicious and usually more plump when we have more rain. But Seattle has had 55 days without rain and I only water these guys about twice a week, so they are not as juicy but the sugars have definitely concentrated and the flavor is quite good.
Dont forget that these trees need a pollinator so if you buy one, also considering getting the following Japanese plums.
Redheart, Early Golden, Ozark Premier, stasuma and Methley
Spartan Apple:
I have about half dozen apple varieties in my yard. Spartan by far has been the most vigorous and productive tree. It's also an early apple. Ripening in early August.
The apple is quite pretty. It shines up nice. However based off of the the one I tried it was already quite mealy. I will have to try another from the tree to see if it's any different. I'll reserve the review until then.
Desert King:
I love the Desert King Fig. It's always so reliable and very tasty. And also very productive. I've already eaten my fill of these. A must have in ground for all cool weather climates.
This little guy was rooted last year. I didn't expect this little tree to bear fruit yet but it did and it wasn't too bad.
It had a strong figgy taste with some hints of acid. Because I just had eaten the Peter's honey, this one was relatively bland compared to it. But pure sugar would've bland compared to a Peter's Honey.
My thoughts on this fig after a few yrs is that it's probably in the same family as the Olympian. So if you have one or the other you don't need both.
July is a great time of year for fig lovers! This is when the beginning of fig ripening season begins and it could go well into October depending on your varieties.
Yesterday was a treat. I got to taste 4 different varieties. Olympian, Gene's Vashon, LSU O'rourke, and Desert King
Olympian:
This fig came off of a 3ft tree and was recently placed in ground. It wasn't as juicy as I like but the flavor may improve with age. Overall it's a very productive tree for it's size with such gorgeous looking fruit.
Gene's Vashon:
The Vashon Violet was the best tasting out of this bunch that I had today. The tree is much more mature and has been in ground for about a decade. It was moist and juicy and the flavors were amazing. Very silky and rich. Melony tones.
LSU O'Rourke:
Unfortunately, this fig was knocked off too early by my young gardener helper and didn't get a chance to fully develop it's flavor. What I did taste has great promise though. A nice bit of acid and berry tones. You can taste the greenness of it still though. I love the color of and ribbing on this fig. Until next year young fig.
Desert King:
One of my favorites here in the Northwest. Never fails to impress me how good it is. Very refreshing and flavorful. And filling too. One 90gram fig can satisfy your hunger.
The end of July in Seattle means its time for the King of Figs to share it's bounty with us. I LOVE The Desert King fig! It's large size juicy sweet berry tones and immense productivity makes it a must have for growers in this zone.
I like to pick my Dessert kings when they are super soft and juicy. They get to the point where you can just slurp them down.
One taste and you're hooked.
I do have to say that I've seen DK from growers in hot climates like Arizona and the fruit just doesn't look as appealing or large as they do here in Seattle.
One ripe Seattle Desert King fig can fill you up quick.
Desert King AKA King | Charlie | White King | King
Hardiness: Hardy I grow these outside in Seattle without protection Type: San Pedro Fruit Ripens: July and Late September on warm seasons Fruit Color: Green and light red interior Taste: Perfectly sweet and juicy Fruit Weight: 50grams Leaf Structure: 3 large lobes Note: One of the easiest cuttings to root. In the right conditions roots should appear in 2 weeks
King of the northwest figs. It is prized for it's flavorful
green skinned fruit and moderate cold resistance.
The Desert King variety can be traced back to the 1920’s in Madera, California. Large, skin is deep
green, minutely spotted white, pulp strawberry red. A San Pedro type
fig, it normaly requires pollination for the second crop. It is
vigorous and requires pruning to maximize a good production of figs.
This tree is well adapted to cool areas.
Observations:
* San Pedro Type
* Only the breba crops ripens, but last year it was extra warm and 2nd crop was not as tasty but edible in it's own right
* The main crop requires the fig wasp to ripen
* Fruits ripen in July. ripe fruits turn from green to a light green/yellow color
* The skin gets super soft and pulp intensely syrupy. You can drink the super ripe figs with a straw
* Large figs the size of a small fist
* Brebas grow on 2nd year wood so do not prune the fruiting branches
My personal opinion is that if you live in Seattle you have to own this variety. It's breba crop is just so productive. The proof is in the scores of trees found all over Seattle that reach higher than 25ft. Every July these trees are just loaded with fruit, more than any one family can eat.
The flavor is a mild strawberry taste without the acidity. The skin is very soft when ripe and can explode in your hands when picked overly ripe. You can probably drink a Super ripe Desert King with one of those bubble tea straws.
