Vito, are you going? Hope to see you there if you are.

I was born and raised in NJ, with Italians all over the place and I NEVER saw one single fig tree in all those years!!! Did they not have fig trees in the '50s, or something, or did they hide them so no one else would know they were there and steal them? :)

Plus, I was told figs couldn't grow in NJ.

noss

Yes Ed, I am going. Hope to see you there!

To Noss; As far as fig trees in the 50's; I grew up in Brooklyn and most of the Italian families had a fig tree and a grapevine growing in their backyard. We came from Sicily to Brooklyn in 1956. We landed in an Italian neighborhood in Canarsie (as did many Italians at that time) and their were many who brought cuttings over. My family moved from Brooklyn to Staten Island and brought their figs with them. They continue to grow and produce just fine and with little care.

Just this summer, I visited my brother's former home in Brooklyn and the tree that he planted thirty years ago is still vigorous and producing figs like crazy. I don't want to start a rumor that figs won't grow in Jersey; but they certainly do in Brooklyn and Staten island! :)

Noss: Here is a picture of a fig from my nephew's tree in State Island

[IMG]http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af206/Vito12831/Figs/JoesFig.jpg[/IMG]

Sorry, Noss, I am a newbie at uploading a picture. Here is the link where you can see it.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af206/Vito12831/Figs/JoesFig.jpg

Okay, I think I got it. Here is the photo

Wow Vito! Now dasta FIG! I've never seen a fig that large in person and thanks for working so hard to make sure the picture showed up, that's nice you did that. I shudda grown up in NY! Fig trees! Grapevines! Two of my very favorites, especially Concord grapes eaten right off the vine. Now I'm homesick.

I'll wager there were fig trees all around me, but I never noticed them. NJ East Coast Italian food is among the best and they had to have had fig trees because we were too close to NY not to.

Happy figging,

noss

I have seen them twice as large here in Texas, but the flavor was just sweet with not much for taste. It was on a 8 foot bush in Freeport Texas
Paul

Vito, your nephew has nice looking hands... Is this a picture of "rocco" or joe's" fig? I wonder what the eye looks like because that fig looks like a fig that 2 different people I know have. They both say they brought it from Sicily, and they dont know each other. The eye is open and the interior is red. Bring some to the festival if you are able to please.

Ed

HI Ed
My niece will apriciate that. No that is not Roco's fig
it is Joe's fig I will try to bring some of Joe's,figs
some of Agelo's and Roco's figs.
See you there.
Vito

Hi, Everyone:

I am the food editor at the Staten Island Advance and the organizer of this very casual event. Looking forward to seeing you at this event. I don't want to dissapoint anyone about what it is though: It's just a bunch of us (whoever shows)talking about figs and trees, swapping our fig product whatever that might be.

Yours in figs,
Pam.
silvestri@siadvance.com

We Italians and mixed breed like me here in the South were proceeded in Virginia by Thomas Jefferson who brought fig trees from France to Virginia over 200 years ago. Some fig trees here and in MD and DC have been in the ground growing for over 75 years...though some very out of Zone winters in the 1950s, 80s and 90s.

Pam, thanks for organizing this. Don't worry, that is what this forum is all about (a bunch of us talking about figs), swapping fig products is icing on the cake. Are you looking for any particular figs or plants?

Ed

Hi Guys, I new to the fig fever, I am going to be there around 8:30pm, hope you guys still there looking for some dark varieties to buy, have fun and see you there.
Mark

Couldn't be there...but, I hope a good time was had by all.

Frank

"Brooklyn Hand-Granade" is doing very well.

Mettete qualche foto, sono incuriosito, com'e' andato il festival!

Ciao, Nino Purtroppo, non ho preso le foto. Ma il festival � stato grande! Come sono i vostri alberi di fico facendo. Vuoi scambiare talee?

Vito

I wish we could have a fig convention in SC, shoot I'd just like to just find more people to trade cultivars with. you darn Yankees have all the figgin fun:) and the best pizza in the world! I'll admit I'm a little green with fig envy.

One point you made is definitely true...the further away from good 'ol New Yawk City...the lousier the pizza! New York has some of the best Pizza in the USA...BUT...you gotta know where to buy it! In my day, I could make 4 slices disappear in less than ten minutes...and that's a NYC-size pie....not these phonograph record-size pizzas!

Isn't "Gluttony" one of the Deadly Sins? I will roast for sure!

Frank

Ciao Vito,
mi dispiace che non abbiate fatto foto. I miei fichi li puoi vedere nel topic "Fig fever in Europe". Li' potrai vedere le nostre varieta'. Si', mi piacerebbe fare scambi di varieta' anche se non so come si potrebbero fare in relazioni intercontinentali.
Stiamo gia' pensato qualcosa di simile con l'ungherese americano (ediblelandscaping). Anche lui e' interessato agli scambi.

Correzione: Abbiamo gia' pensato...