http://www.portlandfoodanddrink.com/?p=680

Jon, for whatever reason the link won't display for me, so I looked at the Google's saved version. Here's what someone posted to the article:

Posted by: liz mason:
I would like to correct a bit of misinformation in your article about the fig you called the crusader fig. i am the daughter of Margaret and it was my grandfather who first found the fig. It is correctly called the Cottenham Fig after the village outside Cambridge, England where it was found by my grandfather in a farm near his own. The farm had been owned at one point by a knight who apparently brought the fig back with him when he returned from the Crusades. It was identified by a staff member of the Royal Botanic Garden in London and I assure you that the original fig is healthy robust and producing abundant figs. Several years ago it was designated as a heritage tree and as such is saved from destruction and under strict regulations with respect to pruning and other care.

my mother who brought a cutting from England in the 60Âs when such things could still be done happily handed out cuttings to her gardener friends and there are many still thriving in the portland area including in her original garden and my own.

the large figs are thin skinned, light pink to red inside and to me they taste like honey.
September 11th, 2006 at 6:15 am

Here are excerpts fro m the article:

Local Figs: A Love Letter to a Short Sweet Season
Posted Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006, By: Cuisine Bonne Femme

Local Figs: A Love Letter to a Short Sweet Season
*Bonus Recipe Included*

Portland has been raining figs. There are big brown, black and green blobs on the sidewalks, on top of cars, and backyards have been turned into slippery landmine fields. It wont last long though, because we are reaching the end of the local fig season.

Fresh figs remind me, somewhat sadly, that summer has now peaked and I need to savor every last bite of it, for there are only a couple of the good weather months left.

Portlanders love figs, our green grocers and farmers markets are overflowing with them.

There are over 75 identified fig varieties that grow in the Willamette Valley, each just slightly different enough to be noticed. Common types in Portland include the proficient and hardy Brown Turkeys, large chartreuse Desert Kings, and the thick skinned but honey sweet Kadotas. Some varieties are much less known, like the Madeleine des Deux Saisons (Madeleine of Two Seasons) from Brittany, France, so named because they bare fruit in the summer and then again in the fall which is somewhat unusual for our climate. There is also the rarest of the rare, the Crusader. As lore has it, the Crusader fig is so named because it was rescued in the 1920s from the dilapidated memorial site of a 17th century British Knight. A single cutting of this tree was brought to our area by chance, propigated, and resurrected from near extinction by a one Mrs. Margaret Mason in Portland, Oregon. The Crusader fig is now thought to be available nowhere else in the world but here.

Yes, figs are mythical and mysterious, and dredge up all kinds of things burned deep into our collective consciousness: Adam and Eve with their fig leaves and other morality tales, ancient still life oil paintings showing platters overflowing with the fruit, and quaint seasonal songs about Figgy Pudding. On a more personal level, fresh figs always bring me back to a decadent vacation, lounging in the hot Mediterranean sun, and eating figs until my stomach hurt. And one of my earliest memories is of being 6 years old and lifted up high on Daddys shoulders, covered in a thick canopy of green, feeling on top of the world and trying to grab the ripest ones from our Grandmothers giant tree.

Figs are ancient, thought to be the oldest cultivated fruit perhaps. Fig remnants have been found in excavation sites traced back to 5,000 B.C. Many cultures view figs as medicine, certain that that they will cure both heartaches and upset stomachs. Figs are high in calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Yes, they also contain quite a bit of fiber, so they have very real laxative qualities. Figs are good for you.

Such a coy little fruit too, their modest fat bottomed exteriors hiding such luscious pink insides. Figs have a slightly nutty taste and a distinctive crunch from all those tiny seeds. Figs are not terribly juicy and will not drip down your chin like when eating a peach or a watermelon. Figs have a subtle scent, somewhat musky, but not overly perfumey like our garish party girl fruit, the cantaloupe. A good ripe fig is as soft as a marshmallow and can be peeled, eaten as is, or (my favorite method) simply cut in half and scooped up with a spoon. Figs are delicate, bruise easily, and must be picked when ripe, as they do not do well once off the tree. This makes them difficult to transport and sell commercially, and is the main reason you rarely see fresh figs in large corporate supermarkets. Many people in colder climates cant even get fresh figs at all, and I know a poor soul or two that has never even tasted one. Oh, how lucky we as Portlanders are to have figs growing so close to us.

Figs, however, are the ambassadors of the fruit world, showing up in many an international culture, and they get along with just about everyone, both savory and sweet. Grilling brings out their sugar as does a pinch of salt, and they are good roasted or baked, or stuffed with many varieties of cheeses. They mix nicely with raw or cooked vegetables, and can be paired with meat, fish, and fowl. Figs are versatile, and are included in all kinds of desserts from creams to baked goods, and even go well with chocolate, nuts, and other fruits, especially citrus. If treated right, figs can easily be preserved for the winter by drying, canning, put up into in jams or chutneys, or boiled down into bright sticky syrups. Daydreaming of summer in January? Try some figs preserved in brandy over ice cream, a splash of vanilla-fig syrup with orange liqueur in your vodka cocktail, or spicy fig chutney with roasted peppers for your pork chops.
There are over 75 identified fig varieties that grow in the Willamette Valley, each just slightly different enough to be noticed. Common types in Portland include the proficient and hardy Brown Turkeys, large chartreuse Desert Kings, and the thick skinned but honey sweet Kadotas. Some varieties are much less known, like the Madeleine des Deux Saisons (Madeleine of Two Seasons) from Brittany, France, so named because they bare fruit in the summer and then again in the fall which is somewhat unusual for our climate. There is also the rarest of the rare, the Crusader. As lore has it, the Crusader fig is so named because it was rescued in the 1920s from the dilapidated memorial site of a 17th century British Knight. A single cutting of this tree was brought to our area by chance, propigated, and resurrected from near extinction by a one Mrs. Margaret Mason in Portland, Oregon. The Crusader fig is now thought to be available nowhere else in the world but here.

Yes, figs are mythical and mysterious, and dredge up all kinds of things burned deep into our collective consciousness: Adam and Eve with their fig leaves and other morality tales, ancient still life oil paintings showing platters overflowing with the fruit, and quaint seasonal songs about Figgy Pudding. On a more personal level, fresh figs always bring me back to a decadent vacation, lounging in the hot Mediterranean sun, and eating figs until my stomach hurt. And one of my earliest memories is of being 6 years old and lifted up high on Daddys shoulders, covered in a thick canopy of green, feeling on top of the world and trying to grab the ripest ones from our Grandmothers giant tree.

Figs are ancient, thought to be the oldest cultivated fruit perhaps. Fig remnants have been found in excavation sites traced back to 5,000 B.C. Many cultures view figs as medicine, certain that that they will cure both heartaches and upset stomachs. Figs are high in calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Yes, they also contain quite a bit of fiber, so they have very real laxative qualities. Figs are good for you.

Such a coy little fruit too, their modest fat bottomed exteriors hiding such luscious pink insides. Figs have a slightly nutty taste and a distinctive crunch from all those tiny seeds. Figs are not terribly juicy and will not drip down your chin like when eating a peach or a watermelon. Figs have a subtle scent, somewhat musky, but not overly perfumey like our garish party girl fruit, the cantaloupe. A good ripe fig is as soft as a marshmallow and can be peeled, eaten as is, or (my favorite method) simply cut in half and scooped up with a spoon. Figs are delicate, bruise easily, and must be picked when ripe, as they do not do well once off the tree. This makes them difficult to transport and sell commercially, and is the main reason you rarely see fresh figs in large corporate supermarkets. Many people in colder climates cant even get fresh figs at all, and I know a poor soul or two that has never even tasted one. Oh, how lucky we as Portlanders are to have figs growing so close to us.

Figs, however, are the ambassadors of the fruit world, showing up in many an international culture, and they get along with just about everyone, both savory and sweet. Grilling brings out their sugar as does a pinch of salt, and they are good roasted or baked, or stuffed with many varieties of cheeses. They mix nicely with raw or cooked vegetables, and can be paired with meat, fish, and fowl. Figs are versatile, and are included in all kinds of desserts from creams to baked goods, and even go well with chocolate, nuts, and other fruits, especially citrus. If treated right, figs can easily be preserved for the winter by drying, canning, put up into in jams or chutneys, or boiled down into bright sticky syrups. Daydreaming of summer in January? Try some figs preserved in brandy over ice cream, a splash of vanilla-fig syrup with orange liqueur in your vodka cocktail, or spicy fig chutney with roasted peppers for your pork chops.

I appreciate the fabulous history, but is it UNIQUE?
George (NJ).

George, are agree with you. There's lots of history behind this tree, but the bottom line is how good is the fig?
you might be surprized that one of your own figs may have a hidden history behind it as well.
I have some figs from the holy land, maybe one of them is the mother tree where the crusader took these cuttings.

Bass

Really nice story, even if it isn't true.
As far as I can remember the crusades are centuries ago.

A few months ago I've got cuttings of a huge figtree near Lymington, South-England. Maybe I should cook up a story about the history of this fig. :-)

I'm from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

There is this dried fruit seller near my office who has
both dried and packaged figs from Iran. He told me
that figs, despite its high sugar content, have medicinal
value for certain diseases, in particular hemorrhoids,
high blood pressure and diabetes.

I've also read in some of the local forums and websites
here on home remedies for hemorrhoids, and the writers
mentioned figs.

Could someone enlighten me on this ?

anyone heard of this type? I've been offered one.. but don't know if the guy grew it indoors or not and I need one for outdoors - caveat emptor sort of thing.

fyi - I already have Mission, Italian Honey, Brown Turkey which are doing well since planting last year and have one other nameless variety..

I have only seen the article above. I have not idea what the fig is like.

If it's been growing in England since the Crusades, and someone took the trouble to bring it to the US, it's probably a decent fig (at worst).
And even if the fellow you are getting it from had it inside, it should do well outside (alive and well in English weather for over 500 years!) with a little transition time.
And if you still don't want to take a chance, I'll trade you something hardy for it, LOL.