Fiorone tree
Generalities:
The fiorone is the inflorescence of the Ficus carica L. cultivar "Petrelli, inside which the real fruits are contained, a sort of small seeds known by the name of achenes. It is good to clarify between figs and fioroni because they are often confused: both they are produced from the same tree but the fioroni or 'figs fioroni' are formed from buds of the previous autumn and ripen in late spring or early summer, while real or 'fòrniti' figs are formed from buds in spring and they ripen at the end of the summer of the same year.
- jar 16cm, height 120/160cm
- jar 22cm, height 150/170cm
Generalities:
The fiorone has a pyriform shape, is characterized by a medium - large size with a fairly thick skin of a color ranging from bright green to purple; the pulp, consistent and fleshy, has a variable reddish color tending to delicate pink depending on the time of ripening, is particularly rich in sugars and has a significant number of small achenes. After maturation, it is possible to notice longitudinal cracks that allow a glimpse of the white of the inner membrane. The production of the Fiorone of Polignano, as the name suggests, is concentrated in the coastal areas that extend from the city of Monopoli to that of Polignano a Mare, from which the product got its name.
Cultivation and Care:
The Fiorone plant likes warm, non-humid climates, adapts to any type of soil as long as it is loose and well-drained, does not tolerate temperatures below -10, -12 ° C for a long time. The production of fioroni, unlike figs, begins already in the autumn period, when it is possible to identify on the plant the presence of small buds that persist throughout the winter month and from which, towards the end of spring or at the beginning of the maximum summer, in the period between May and late June, the fioroni will be formed.The collection is carried out by peeling the fruit with the peduncle avoiding to tear the skin: it is essential that this operation is carried out in the early hours of the morning, before the sun comes up , as the heat would make the peel fragile during handling: a tear in the peel would compromise the shelf life and quality of the product.