Fig of the Week. #9 Smith fig

Smith Fig. 

Hardiness: Untested outdoors. I bring it in for the winter
Type: Bifere
Fruit Ripens: July and Sept
Fruit Color: Teal green/purple and red interior
Taste: One of the very best, very rich, perfectly sweet and has a bit of umami
Fruit Weight: 35grams
Leaf Structure: 3 large lobes and cankles
Note: This is a difficult one to root. It takes 4 to 6 weeks to root. The longer the cutting the better for rooting. I've had whole trays fail while other varieties cut the same time rooted successfully.

Considered the best fig of the south, the Smith fig is a 100yr old heirloom Louisiana variety that came out of the well respected Becnel Nursery. I tend to agree this so far is my top tasting fig.

It's a relatively small fig. Beautiful color! Yellowish green with purple marks. The flesh tastes as buttery as it looks! It's not overly sweet which I prefer but that mouth feel and umami haunts you a for a couple of days. I love this fig! Perfectly sweet with slight strawberry tones. The flesh on this fig has a taste of it's own, which complements the berry tones.

The fig grows well in humid environments and has a tight eye which is resistant to splitting. For Seattle weather, I would shuffle this fig or keep it a heated greenhouse in the winter.

Check out the amount of dew on this fig. It looks like it's been dipped in water and there is no sign of splitting what so ever.

If you love figs as much as I do don't forget to join my fig addiction group
Fig Addiction

Fig Tasting Season is Here!

It's the beginning of Sept and the main crop on certain figs are starting to ripen here in Seattle. July and September have become my new favorite months! I get to eat figs like a pig.

Atreano and Unknown Dark Green/Purple Fig (Brandon St): (Atreano is the larger green fig). Between the two the smaller darker green/purple wins out right in flavor.  It's sweet, not overly jammy sweet with lots of seed crunch and a winey after taste. Just simply amazing. We've had lots of rain this week so they were a bit watery. (Which I like)

The Atreano which is another tasty fig, just tasted kind of medicore after eating this unknown fig.

Unknown Brandon Fig:

Brandon St Fig.

Smith Fig: OMG all the reviews are spot on with this fig. SOOOO Rich with lingering taste that makes you go MMM MMM.

It's a relatively small fig. Beautiful color! Teal green with purple marks. The flesh tastes as buttery as it looks! It's not overly sweet which I prefer but that mouth feel and umami haunts you a for a couple of days. I love this fig!

Improved Celeste: Another great tree that does well here in Seattle. No need to protect this guy in Seattle. Plant it and forget it. The fruit is about thumb size. Small but flavorful, I should probably have waited until the 2nd week of Sept to start picking these, by then they would be at their optimum ripeness.

The ones in the photo were a bit under ripe due to my haste to pick them, so I didn't get to experience it's full potential. Other wise it's a sweet fig, with berry tones and a nice bite to the skin. Not watery like others and not thick skinned like the Peter's Honey.

White Marseilles: These ripen at the end of August through mid September here in Seattle. The ripe figs are best tasted chilled off the tree after a nice rain. The cold fruit fresh reminds me of fluffy fruity ice cream. Jut simply amazing to eat fresh! I'll have to eat these ala mode next time, it's just so good!

Dare I say better than our loved Desert King...?!

New Figs Greek Papa & LSU O Rourke

New figs this week.

Greek Papa

LSU O Rourke