Figs are mentioned in many of our earliest texts, and evidence suggests that these broad, deciduous trees have been in cultivation for thousands of years. The fig tree’s leaf, in particular, is a widely familiar shape that has provided some of the world’s most famous statues and paintings with strategic covering and a modicum of modesty. In the landscape, these large, deeply lobed leaves provide a coarse texture and cast dense shade. The tree itself is usually short but wide in stature with smooth, silvery bark, multiple trunks, and a remarkable tolerance of desert heat and sun.
‘Black Mission’ is a popular variety that produces a heavy crop of dark purple to black skinned fruit with amber to strawberry pink flesh in mid-July to late August. This fig’s sweet, rich flavor lends itself well to canning, drying, or eating fresh. ‘Black Mission’ was one of the first figs to be planted in North America, and is still considered one of the highest quality varieties we can grow.