Bountiful Figs

alanmercieca

Administrator

From: North Carolina - Zone 7a -8b

Registered: Nov-29-20

Posts: 106

Unknown Carini ('Melon Berry' flavor)

I wrote this up from some notes that I took from Frank's forum threads about his family's Unknown Carini, with some questions that he answered for me, and from my own experience.

Frank, thank you for the cuttings and for answering my questions.

'Unknown Carini' ('Melon Berry' flavor)

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 unknown 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 Unknown 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.

alanmercieca

Administrator

From: North Carolina - Zone 7a -8b

Registered: Nov-29-20

Posts: 106

Re: Unknown Carini ('Melon Berry' flavor)

Here are some photos taken in 2020, of Unknown Carini fig fruit

Here are 3 'Unknown Carini' fruit cut open, photo taken on 'June 29th 2020'

alanmercieca

Administrator

From: North Carolina - Zone 7a -8b

Registered: Nov-29-20

Posts: 106

Re: Unknown Carini ('Melon Berry' flavor)

On 'Thursday June 17 2021' I took leaf photos of some of the leaves on our 'Unknown Carini' fig tree, here they are

Shape 1

Shape 2

Shape 3

Shape 4