Bountiful Figs

'Croisic' ('Honey/sugar' flavor fig)

Croisic (In the USA is called "Gillette")

In 1836, Prosper Mérimé wrote about "Croisic" fig trees in which he discovered located in Beauport in an area that he could see the bay of Paimpol, the entrance that leads to the "Croisic" fig trees is the ruins of Beauport Abbey which is located near the sea in Beauport, he wrote "huge fig trees covered the beach, almost dropping their fruit in to the waves". There is still at least two "Croisic" fig trees at the ruins of Beauport Abbey.

In 1882, Solms-Laubach had discovered "Croisic" fig trees at Cherbourg and at Le Croisic, this cultivar was not first discovered in Le Croisic, despite it's name.

In 2013 an old "Croisic" fig tree was discovered near Paimpol in Bretagne, France, Probably a 60 + year old fig tree then.

The "Croisic" cultivar of fig can be found many other places within the English channel and the Atlantic coast areas of Northern France, all within the Bretagne and the Basse Normandie (Lower Normandy) regions of France, which is all over Brittany, France.

There is a fig tree in "Roscoff" called "Roscoff", some people including experts say that "Roscoff" and "Croisic" are not the same thing, and other such people say that they are the same exact thing. Chances are that at one time there were two or more cultivars of fig trees in "Roscoff" called "Roscoff". If so then one is likely "'Croisic", and another one with small figs and small leaves.

The convent that "Roscoff" got famous was built in 1621, the real original "Roscoff" was originally planted in about 1610. The monks who owned the convent cloned the original tree, and they planted it on their land in 1634, if that tree were to ever be proven to really be what is known as "Croisic" then it would be a very old cultivar with an interesting past, the "Roscoff" cultivar may have been in Brittany France since the 11th century, long before the monks planted it on their property, and long before 1610. Keep in mind that "Roscoff" was discovered in Brittany France just like the "Croisic" cultivar was. The "Roscoff" fig tree at the convent was destroyed in 1985, and the area of the tree was paved over shortly after, yet when it was alive it was said, that it could shelter five hundred men.

The tree was "These branches extend horizontally from either side of a low wall that was built to support the tree's trunks; this tree covered 600 m2 and was 328 feet to 492 feet (100 meter to 150 meter) in circumference. Its trunk was 5.74 feet (1 meter 75 centimeters) in circumference, and 4.92 feet (1 meter 50 centimeters) in height and was supported by many granite pillars. What makes it very curious botanical point of view is that the entire tree was surrounded by an arbor, growing from a single trunk with suckers extend horizontally over a length almost at ground were bent to the ground to take root. They formed real trunks, from the first which they remain linked by genuine very large aerial roots ". Its extremely numerous figs were sold in all the neighboring markets. Sometimes a little wood was used.

An arboretum at Huelgoat, Brittany grows both 'Croisic' and "Roscoff", the curator there said that the "Roscoff" cultivar requires more heat for the figs to ripen than they have at the arboretum. Yet the 'Croisic' fig tree does not require so much heat and it does crop there. At the arboretum leaves form on the 'Croisic' before the "Roscoff" every year.

"Croisic" like the caprifig has an area of male flowers inside the fig near the eye. In 1885 Solms-Laubach had expressed that he thinks "Croisic" is simply a highly developed caprifig, and there was no fig wasps (blastophagas) around to pollinate the fruit yet it was producing fully ripened figs. "Croisic" appears to be the first or second ever discovered edible caprifig that still exists today, depending on if it's the same as "Roscoff" or not.

"Croisic" fig trees have very large leaves, they average to be about 11.8 inches (30 centimeters) in diameter, I myself have noticed leaves up to 12.2 inches in diameter (31 centimeters), about 1 centimeter greater than the 30 centimeters average leaf size for this cultivar, leaf edges are very roundish, and full yet they have rigid edges, most leaves are 5-lobed, yet there are some 3 lobed leaves and some 1 lobed leaves. The leaves are light green in the spring and they get much darker and they get very glossy looking in late summer.

The fig tree "Croisic" is well suited to the climate of a seaside. When young the branches of the "Croisic" fig tree more so than not tends to become twisted in circles rotating around the center of the trunk. The vegetation of the "Croisic" fig tree is very vigorous, has stiff upright vegetation growth, it's possible to keep this tree a single trunk.

The "Croisic" fig tree is a Bifère (produces two crops that are edible to people every year in the right climate), This cultivar ripens all its profichi fruit (breba cop, first crop). "Croisic" fig trees produce enormous crops every single year once they are big and old enough, and if they are in an agreeable climate! The profichi fruit (breba cop) are large to extra large, it's fruit weighs between 2.82 and 3.53 ounces (80 and 100 grams). The profichi fruit (breba cop) ripen between late August and mid-September on the Atlantic coast of France which is about the same time as a "Gillette" has ripe figs in the Pacific North west USA, the fruit of both crops the skin is yellow-green with brown areas, as the figs of the profichi crop (breba cop) ripen the pulp changes from white to a semitransparent amber color and there may be a touch of salmon color in the amber area, the skin starts out dark green in early spring and turns light green or yellow green just before ripening, seeds are honey colored.

Kiwi bob is a fig/kiwi plant collector who does fig taste tests, in those taste tests if a taster’s personal taste preferences are satisfied enough then the person preferred "Croisic” over “Lattarula”. “Croisic” has a more complex flavor than “Lattarula”, Figs of "Croisic" must be harvested at full ripeness or they will be very bland, "Croisic" figs have to be nearly dried on the tree to achieve full flavor and sweetness. "Croisic" figs have a flavor and a sweetness like thick honey with a hint of melon, when fully ripe they are very sweet and very juicy, the fruit when 'fully ripe' tastes like roasted marshmallow and coconut, as great as the figs are they are somewhat bland even when fully ripe, they have a weak aroma that does not impress.

The figs of this cultivar gets better as the tree ages for a while, our first crop ever from this tree (in 2019), the figs were small, and had barely any sweetness, were very bland even though there was a very strong roasted marshmallow, and coconut like flavor in one of the figs, it had a bad flavor as well, yet first year figs on a lot of cultivars can have a bad flavor. Other figs from this tree in 2019, had a honey with a hint of melon like flavor, with no coconut or marshmallow flavor, no bad flavor either though, a little sweeter than the other fig, yet not much sweeter.

Based upon what I have read online I strongly believe that throughout history a lot of people have picked the figs of this cultivar ranging from nearly raw to sort of ripe, yet even then they are very good for jams, picking them too early makes this cultivar's figs much less appealing to eat fresh, the shape of the figs is an elongated balloon like shape, that turns pear shape as it ripens, neck length ranges from short to very long on the same tree, sometimes the neck is jointed at the stem sometimes it's not, and skin is deeply veined to the point that it makes a pattern. The eye on most of the figs is an outie, some of the eyes are an innie. The part of each stem that attaches to the figs is harder than the rest of each stem, the male flowers of the profichi fruit (breba crop) of the "Croisic" cultivar may be hard and dry and sometimes one needs to remove these flowers before eating, such hardness and dryness does vary.

In most of the USA It has up to one crop, the profichi crop (breba crop), if it can not have that first crop for whatever reason then no figs that year, yet it does gain cold hardiness in time. It's an early cropper, frost could destroy the first crop if severe enough. Just about anywhere North of North Carolina there is no point in growing this fig tree. The profichi fruit (breba crop) of the "Croisic" cultivar are modified caprifigs which has not yet lost its male flowers.

They may never have a mature mammoni fruit (second crop) in the area that they historically grow in France, and in most other places due to a lack of the fig wasp, same is true for the the mamme fruit (third crop) also the 2nd and 3rd crops require a very long growing season, and a lot of heat to form properly.

The "Croisic" fig tree has been very often confused with other fig tree cultivars for a long time. "Croisic" is nothing like any cultivar of Pingo de Mel or any cultivar of St John that I have ever seen. There are a lot of sort of similar to very similar edible caprifigs out there that get called "Gillette" or "Croisic".

Note:
There are two cultivars of fig trees originally called "Gillette", the other cultivar is a common fig cultivar.