I guess Green Ishchia would be an Italian fig since Ischia is a place in Italy. I just put mine in the ground this year so I don't have any figs yet.

John....

"Italian Fig Tree" has very little meaning to those experienced members posting on this forum, who may be able to identify your tree.

When the tree...your uncle's tree, produces fruit, post some photos. Take pics. of the tree, the leaves, and the RIPE figs, whole, and split down,through the middle, through the eye, and include a 6" ruler next to the leaves, and fruit so we can judge sizes.

You may get some kind of answer, by doing this.

Good luck.

Frank

"Green Ischia" does not exist in Italy, it was a name given to a cutting from Italy whose tag was lost.

I think in Italy most Fig varieties have different names than those given here even if Italian.

Here is a link that might be useful: some figs in italy

Here is a partial index of photos of Italian figs...you can see that their are quite a few possibiities.

Here is a link that might be useful: Italian Figs

I sure do appreciate the input you can tell I don't much about the different fig trees.I Never new there were so many different types.Thanks a-lot

John 222...

Everybody posting on this forum was a beginner at some point. Only, many seasons of growing figs, and the experiences gained from growing, separate you from us. You will be talking "fig" in no time at all.

There are thousands of varieties growing all over the world, and probably 85% can be eliminated. Next, does your tree produce black figs or white figs? That will further narrow the search.

It is really leaf shapes, figs...whole, and sliced...that will help identify your tree.

Hang in, ask questions, and you'll find some answers.

Hope this helps.

Frank

I am a total novice too. I grew up in Italy and I wonder if the American palate is used to way more sweet flavors, as a teacher at a mixology class I had to photograph stated. Americans do not like Bitters as much as in Europe.
Anyway when I was a kid i liked small green figs that were not too sweet and that had a bit of a skin. I was disappointed by the more commercial thin skinned ones. One popular way to eat figs is as an appetizer with raw ham (Prosciutto crudo) rolled around. so the fig is best if it is not supersweet and super ripe / soft.

Here is a link that might be useful: ham and figs

Holy cow! They sure do have a lot of fig varieties in Italy--must be the fig capital of the world!

Hi stefpix,

Look at all that fig antipasti! MA-ma MI-a! It all looks so delicious. Thanks for the link for us to see.

I like sweet figs. Maybe Americans tend to like a sweeter fig because we like them fresh, at least, I do.

How do the figs taste bitter? Are you saying you like a thicker skinned fig that the skin pops when you bite into it?

noss

I thought that Celeste is Italian. I have one and I call it Italian. The nursery who sold it to me called Italian. It produces medium size figs when it is ripen it turns to dark brown color. The taste is very sweet. It is very difficult to get it to produce. First you have to pinch the branches to limit the green growth to reasonable amount. It produces lots of small figs which I have to thin it. On the average I leave 25 figs so the tree can Handel it. I learned how to get ripen figs from that tree by trials and errors. There were lots of disappointments in the middle but I kept trying.

Hi FP,

The Celeste is the Malta fig.

noss

Malta and Italy are in the same region Mediterranean region.

Yes, but that's not the same as the tree coming from Italy proper, is it? Maybe I'm being too literal. Does Malta belong to Italy? I've never thought about it.

noss

Noss,

Malta is a separate and sovereign republic, with it's own government and language. Though the Maltese people I've met are typically the same as other southern European people. You can read more on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta

Dear Mister Potato Head,

Yes, I shall go google the Isle of Malta and read about it.

I thought it was separate and sovereign unto itself, but was wondering if I had misunderstood and it was somehow a part of Italy, making it Italian. FP was thinking of the area and I was thinking of separate countries. :)

noss

I was just in Milan visiting my family. I saw some Fig trees there. They look different than those I see in Brooklyn. The leaves in brooklyn are simpler and many are 3 lobed. Most figs in Milan had 5 lobed leaves and more serrated. I visited a nursery there and there was a wild fig growing on a old brick wall 15 ft up. No soil at all. Figs were not ripe. Most trees I saw were growing very close to old walls. I believe some were started from seed. I bought figs there at the markets. about 2.50 / 3 euros per Kg, so about $2 or less per pound. The figs I bought at the markets were from Puglia, the heel of Italy, about 1000 Km south of Milan. I asked the variety name and they told me they were "Fioroni" which can be translated - sort of - as "large flowers".

At a Municipal market I spoke to a guy from Southern Italy that moved near Milan 30 years ago. He grew fig and other fruit trees at his house in some more rural town near Milan and has a variety that has a Neapolitan name (i believe) Menne de vacca, translated in Italian "tette di mucca" in english " cow's tits" that produces huge figs, like nothing else. He has another variety, small with a thick skin but very good that ripen in December! He lost a fig tree this winter that was cold, with periods of - 20 C / - 4 F. Here are some photos - I will do an album about fig trees - more photos . these are on FB are public, no login required.
you may have to copy and paste the urls - only one gets parsed

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151228757738066.552899.631078065&type=3&l=5018f9f213

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151235609758066.553614.631078065&type=3&l=76ff85f5a3

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151233031323066.553322.631078065&type=3&l=951d7a8cb2

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151250527753066.555408.631078065&type=3&l=654975ddf4

Here is a link that might be useful: Milan album 1 incl some figs

That fig pie looks delicious!

noss

I have to say I do not miss living in Italy much, but the pastries there are on a different level. Here I love the pumpkin pie, but in Milan freshly baked croissants filled with home made custard or real preserved (lot of fruit/ less sugar) go for an euro and taste better than the stale ones that in NYC sell for 3/ 4 $. also cakes / pies have real fruit rather than icings with artificial colors. I think people there like less sugar in desserts and more fruit. and HF corn syrup is not used even in sodas.

Here, hi-fructose corn syrup is in almost everything!!! Not good to have sugar in almost all of our foods and that's not just fruit food. It's in pasta sauce and they even put it in canned fruits and applesauce. It's everywhere!!!

noss

I know how people are posting two and three of the same posts. When I hit submit, it just sat there, so I clicked on submit post again, then it showed that it was posted, but it was posted twice.

noss