Bountiful Figs

'Carini (Figgy Frank)' ('Unknown Carini') ('Melon Berry' flavor)

This variety was originally called 'Unknown Carini' by the fig community, yet since other varieties of fig were distributed sharing the same name I have decided to call it a more direct and obvious name. As to cut down on the confusion of what I have.

Fruit taste: Tastes figgy and sweet to very sweet, refreshing, juicy, may or may not taste like berry, rich jammy, and delicious, with zero seed crunch, may have a flavor nearly identical to Gino's black, may taste very similar to Longue d'Aout figs, sometimes the figs can taste like honey, like cantaloupe melon, like honey dew melon, like muskmelon, like citrus (vaguely like orange oil), for a while the figs that it produces get better with age. brebas are slightly richer in flavor than the main crop (that's rare in figs).

Fig production: This cultivar produces 2 large crops of figs a year, one 4 year old in ground tree had about 50 figs on it after it died to the roots one winter, it can produce both brebba and main crop un-aborted figs as early as the 1st or 2nd year of being a tree. Figs have a closed tight eye, and their tender skin turns to a shade of golden or golden burgundy when ripe, in an agreeable climate a mature tree produces medium golf ball sized figs, slightly larger in some cases. Flesh is deeply strawberry colored, and rarely the breba can be the size of a large plum, it's figs are basically the same size, and have the same characteristics as Gino Black, it's very unlikely yet in some rare cases the figs can get nearly as big as Longue d'Aout figs.

Fig production time: Breba figs ripen June - July, main crop figs ripen August - October in zone 7a Virginia.

Growth: This cultivar is definitely one of the easiest cultivars to root, usually it roots so well that roots take growth priority over the vegetation, it roots as easily as Egyptian Pharaoh, and as a tree it's a powerful grower, it's mature height is over 12 feet tall, equally as wide when allowed to grow freely.

History: Brought to the USA from Carini, Sicily (which is a province of Palermo) 'by figgy frank's relatives', his grandparents moved to Cleveland Ohio from Carini in the late 60s bringing this fig cultivar with them, his grandfather was given cuttings from a cousin of his in the early 70s, who also lived in the same area of Ohio which is zone 5b to 6b depending on the year, Frank's grandfather had 3 Carini trees on his property, he’d send Frank cartons full every year since he was a child, he would winter protect them each year and as far as Frank can remember none of them ever completely died off. Frank's granddad passed away in 96, and those trees may or may not still exist.

Fank's dad had given Frank's cousins a cutting over 15 years ago, and that tree LOVES the alley it's growing in, his cousins have a few Carini of nearly identical age in Virginia, Frank's dad took cuttings from his trees since the early 90s and has planted several in VA, zone 6 and 7. The 12 year old tree that Frank always talks about resides in his old hometown in VA where his Father planted a cutting.

Frank's oldest Carini in his yard was planted August 2010. Winter 2013/2014 was the very first time that this fig tree of Frank's died to the ground, it has a great foundation, it was unprotected and it come back strongly in his zone 7a Virginia climate to give Frank about 50 figs in 2014. It's a cold hardy cultivar.