Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess

158 fig cuttings
Why stick +100 fig cuttings?

Because the United States has a large number of recent immigrants and second-generation from the mid-East. Because people have a sense of attachment and affiliation with ancestral foods. Because those people might be willing to pay MONEY for fig plants.

Will happen? Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn't cost me much to get into the game.

One nice things about "small fruit" is they are much more precocious than apples or pears. The plants are less expensive, too.

Pro-tip #1

Don't pack your cuttings in to soak if they are dessicated. They swell up and are a bear to pull out of the container for counting and bundling.

Pro-tip #2

Some plant varieties have multiple names or synonyms.

For example, this variety of fig is know in various places as:

  1. Hardy Chicago
  2. Mt. Etna
  3. Takoma Violet
  4. Gino’s Black
  5. Sal’
  6. Maryland Berry
  7. Marseilles Black
  8. Zingarella
  9. Rossi Dark
  10. Keddie
  11. Malta Black (multiple cultivars named 'Malta Black')
  12. Black Greek (multiple 'Black Greek')
  13. Spanish (multiple figs named 'Spanish')
  14. Dark Portuguese
  15. Salem Dark
  16. Black Bethlehem
  17. Papa John
  18. St Rita, 
  19. Danny’s Delight
  20. Hardy Hartford
  21. Mongibello
  22. Macool
  23. Kesarani
  24. Sicilian Black
  25. Lebanese Red (Bekaa)
  26. Ginoso
  27. Jersey Fig
  28. Martini
  29. Don Fortis
  30. Hardy Pittsburgh
  31. Abba
  32. NJ Red
  33. San Donato (Calabria)
  34. Dominick’s 

The names span from the eastern end of the Mediterranean (Lebanese Red, Macool) to the west end (Spanish, Dark Portuguese)

In general, the more synonyms a variety carries, the broader it's range of adaptability and the greater the possibility that it will do well for you in your location.

As a practical matter, It is perfectly permissible to sell this variety as Macool or Lebanese Red (Bekaa Valley) which would automatically increase its appeal to the target market.

A belated Thank-you!

Replacement tips installed in the reusable, brass ferrules from vintage ski poles

A belated "Thank-you!" to Bailey at P-V-I.

As many of my readers know, Powder Valley Incorporated is Kansas' premier supplier of skiing related equipment.

Two of my nephews collect vintage ski poles and replacement tips have been very difficult to find.

One of my orders with Powder Valley had a discrepancy. Bailey was the model of professionalism and straightened out the discrepancy with no hassle.

And now my nephews have their replacement tips!

Thanks, Bailey!

9 comments:

  1. I wonder if the powers are dumb enough to take deflection. One thing for certain is that the HR127 would be nearly impossible to implement burocraticly because of sheer numbers. I wonder how many take “Molon Labe” seriously or “ better dead than red”. I hope enough congressmen have enough sense to kill the bill.

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  2. Replacements for ski poles...riiiight!!!

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  3. Are those the .350 diameter tips?---ken

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    Replies
    1. If memory serves they are 11.5mm in diameter and 15.9 grams.

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  4. I discovered fig bushes at the James Monroe house outside Charlottesville, VA. They are all around the house, big and full and beautiful. So we bought a Chicago Hardy for our house in the same area. It grew beautifully and gave us great figs in its second season. This spring I want to put a dozen or so in our new "food forest" here in NH.

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    Replies
    1. New Hampshire: Are rock walls in full sun hard to come by?

      I like the chevron or zig-zag pattern for the reflector oven effect.

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    2. On my property, yes. Second-growth forest has choked up what used to be farmland. I'm going to rip out some lilacs and other useless things from the south and west walls of the house to make room for the figs, and am also planting a bunch of (native) blueberries.

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    3. I don't know if this is too late to be seen or not,but every time I hear figs... I hear wasps.

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