Fig, Breba Crop. Spring in San Antonio

Posted on by crazygreenthumbs
Fig pushing out leaves.
Random fig I took a cutting from, when I was pushing a stroller through the neighborhood, about 12 years ago. I got a lot of plant starts back when my kids were in diapers. I had a stroller sling to carry (and disguise) my pirated plant pieces!
This is a Celeste fig. It’s two years old. I’m expecting a lot of growth this year.
The little figs in this picture are part of the the Breba crop on my unnamed fig. Some figs have two crops. Usually the Breba, or first crop, forms in spring on year old wood. It is usually pretty watery and not of high quality. That’s OK. These make great shrubs (it’s an antique drink.) You can find my recipe for those here.

I also have a black mission fig in a pot. It’s a year old. I need to get it in the ground. Figs do so well for me and the fruit taste resembles a strawberry, melon or even honey, depending on the variety. I just can’t have enough varieties of figs! Heat really sets the sugar in these.

I also make fig wine with whatever I can’t eat fresh. Fig jam is also really good. You can also preserve them in honey. Figs are used extensively in middle eastern dishes. There’s a lot you can do with figs, if you are willing to do a little research!

Main crop fig from 2023.

I’m not even going to try and guess what variety this is. Unfortunately, figs are one of the most misnamed fruits out there. You may think you have what you ordered, but sometimes you will receive something really random. Because figs are super popular in the south and easy to start from cuttings: a lot of them have been passed between gardeners instead of through professional nurseries. There’s a lot of guessing. This happens especially if you are given a cutting that the gardener can’t even identify! I also see figs for sale at big box stores just labeled “fig”. They aren’t even trying!

I don’t mind. This was free and I love the figs. I have others that are named. It’s interesting that they are related to mulberries and mulberries are frequently mislabeled. Must be a family thing!

Main crop, closed eye fig, weeping sweet, sticky resin.

Meet you out in the garden with our bowls of fresh, sweet figs!

Discover more from Crazy Green Thumbs

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

8 thoughts on “Fig, Breba Crop. Spring in San Antonio”

  3. Not many are aware of this. I grew up in the Santa Clara Valley, which (a long time ago) was famous for fruits and nuts (the sorts that grow on trees, not the sort who live here now). However, figs were not commonly grown in orchards here. (Most were stone fruits, including almonds, with a few orchards of walnuts.) I still grow copies of a few figs that I knew from a home garden. Most produce better main crops, but at least one produces better breba figs. The unidentified black fig, which I believe is a common ‘Mission’ fig, produces excellent fruit in both seasons. Its breba figs are excellent for eating fresh, while the main crop figs are a bit better for drying. We pruned the tree at the old house more aggressively if we want more main crop figs for drying, or less aggressively if we want more breba figs. Unfortunately, that tree is now gone, and the stock tree that I will grow a new tree from is too shaded to be productive.

    Reply

      2. Yes, I have some family out there. They won’t move away, but they have the same issue. I was a military brat. We moved like 28 times when I was growing up. If I don’t like a place I’m out of there. I do love the people of Texas though. Texas is super friendly.

      3. I will not leave either. This is my home. It was not this crazy or expensive for my ancestors. I feel badly for Austin because so many are migrating from here to there.

Leave a reply to Annette Rochelle Aben Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.