Re: Figs Next
There might be some confusion here. There are two different cultivars both
known by the name "Brown Turkey." The one sold in California as "Brown
Turkey" is (usually?) different than the "Brown Turkey" sold in the eastern
United States. I think the eastern Brown Turkey is somewhat hardy. I have
the Californian Brown Turkey and the second crop does have large fruit. The
eastern Brown Turkey has medium-sized or smaller fruit, but I don't think it
has thumb-sized fruit (but then I've never seen the fruit, only descriptions
of the fruit).
Here are excerpts from the description for the eastern Brown Turkey in
Condit's "Fig Varieties" (written in 1955):
"They are of a dwarf habit of growth, and hardy, ... The Brown Turkey ranks
with Celeste as the most popular dooryard fig from Texas east to Florida and
north to Maryland....
Leaves small, mostly 3-lobed; upper surface dull; upper sinuses shallow and
narrow;...
Brebas [first crop] few, medium,...
Second-crop figs medium or below, ... mostly without neck;... color auburn
to burnt umber; pulp amber to light strawberry, practically seedless; flavor
sweet, but not rich; quality fair."
--Mark
Mark Doster
central San Joaquin Valley, California
-----Original Message-----
From: riedy <rriedy@unm.edu>
To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Date: Tuesday, September 28, 1999 5:02 PM
Subject: Figs Next
>Hope I don't wear out the mat asking questions, but you medit-plant people
>are so knowledgable, it whets my appetite to ask things I haven't been
>able to get answered out of books or people around here. This question is
>about a fig. I have a fig bush a little over 2 meters high and
>easily that wide that produces two crops every other year, one in late
>June/early July and again in late August/September. The off-year crop,
>like this year, comes in late August. The fruit is quite small-about
>thumb-size-and when ripe is purplish-brown and often has an azure bloom.
>The flesh is coral pink. What a flavor! Like fresh honey. The plant is
>a prolific bearer, and I freeze most of the crop to enjoy through winter.
>Does anyone know if this could be the so-called 'Turkey Brown,' which
>catalogs say is the most cold hardy fig? ...
