Fig Tree Brown Turkey - Ficus carica

The Brown Turkey Fig Tree (Ficus carica) is a very cold-resistant variety, producing fruits with a reddish-brown skin and sweet and tasty flesh. It is self-fertile. It is a bifera variety, meaning it bears fruit twice, starting from late July and then in September. The Fig Tree is a deciduous, hardy tree that thrives in sunny exposure. Plant in frost-free autumn/winter (or in spring for colder regions).

The Brown Turkey Fig Tree produces fruits with a reddish-brown skin and sweet and tasty flesh. Figs are used in sweet dishes (pies, clafoutis, compotes) or in savory dishes paired with goat cheese, dry-cured ham, or foie gras. After harvest, refrigeration is not recommended as it alters the fig's flavors, and the skin can suffer from humidity and condensation. The best way to enjoy them is fresh, eaten under the tree, preserving their honey-like aroma.

Among the different varieties of fig trees, we can distinguish:

- unifera varieties, producing a single harvest per year, quite abundant, at the beginning of autumn

- bifera varieties, bearing fruit twice a year, producing figs called 'fig flowers' in early summer, appearing on the previous year's wood, and autumn figs, developing on the current year's branches.

The Brown Turkey variety is a bifera variety, bearing fruit from late July and then in September. The harvest will take place in several stages, as the figs ripen. This variety is self-fertile and parthenocarpic, allowing fruit to develop without fertilization. It does not require other fig trees and does not rely on the blastophage, the only pollinating insect of the fig tree, which is too sensitive to survive in cold climates.

Originally from Turkey and Asia Minor, the Fig Tree (Ficus carica) belongs to the Moraceae family. It is a small, vigorous deciduous tree with a rounded and erect habit, often with a twisted trunk, reaching 3 to 5 meters (10 to 16 feet) in all directions. The leaves are rough, bright green turning yellow in autumn, finely velvety, relatively large (sometimes 20 cm (8in) long), and with a long petiole. The lamina is deeply divided into three to seven dentate lobes (usually five) of variable shape, with a velvety underside and prominent veins. The wood is soft and spongy, the bark gray and smooth. The root system of this small tree is powerful, spreading in all directions. The Fig Tree is often considered one of the most beautiful fruit trees. Its distinctive foliage gives it an ornamental aspect and provides a beautiful shaded space, very pleasant during summer heatwaves. Plant the Fig Tree sheltered by a wall that will protect it from the cold during harsh winters, with a south or southwest exposure, alongside Pomegranate, White Mulberry, and Japanese Medlar in the southern regions of our country. In the north, it can be associated with Quince, Five-leaf Akebia, and Feijoa, which are also hardy and exotic. Take into account its adult size to determine the distance at which you will plant it. Although the roots do not cause damage to modern buildings, they can cause damage to walls made of dry stone or with weak mortars, in the old-fashioned way.