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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Oiling figs; searching Pomona?

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  • From: "Bassem Samaan" <bassem@gardener.com>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Oiling figs; searching Pomona?
  • Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:25:44 -0500

Oiling figs is a very common practice in the middle east. The vendors who are so eager to have their figs first in the market will oil their figs at the end of june or begining of july. They get up to 2 to 3 weeks ahead than the average ripening time.
I have tried oiling here in Pennsylvania with varied success. I have applied olive oil using cotton on the outter skin. The fig have to be almost full size, and the weather has to be warm. Some may apply oil at the end of summer, that will work only if the sun is still sharp enough to warm the oil on the fig.
 
Bass Samaan
zone 6, pa
www.treesofjoy.com


 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Moyer"
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [NAFEX] Oiling figs; searching Pomona?
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 21:37:25 -0400

Miekal wrote:
"Oiling was recommended here a few years back.  I tried it on some, a few ripened & most didn't.  Perhaps I needed to have done it earlier.  What I didn't like is even the smallest amount of oil was still  present to the tongue..."

Did you consider something other than used motor oil?
Seriously, we have used food grade oil successfully on Hardy Chicago for years.  Olive, Canola, Corn, etc.  Brings them in several weeks earlier in late Sept and early Oct, and in mid-late Oct to first hard freeze, ripens many that would not otherwise.  I only oil those that that are full size, with a cotton swab, trying to apply just enough oil to seal over the tiny, closed eye.  This apparently traps the ripening hormone ethylene in the fig, and promotes ripening.
 
But it's at least a week before we eat them after oiling, sometimes more.  If too early in the season, they ripen too close together.
 
Did your oil enter inside some figs with an open eye?
 
Ray Givan, NAFEX Fig Interest Group Coordinator, has evaluated a number of figs re: their response to oiling.  Can't remember where I read that, I think he published an article in Pomona.  Some figs were responsive and others not.  Hardy Chicago also responded well under his conditions.
 
Ray welcomes questions through his website:  http://nafex.org/figs.htm
 
Richard Moyer
Zone 6, SW VA
Picked Korean Giant pears and first Mammoth Black Twig apples today.  Jujubes just starting to ripen.

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Thanks,

Bass Samaan
http://www.TreesofJoy.com


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