Since my last pic (click above quote to see), more than a month has passed and the figs don’t look all that different. I had expected them to grow a bit faster. Right now, it isn’t looking too promising, as they haven’t even started to darken like Clark’s figs.
Sorry Bob but I don’t think these will ripen for you before you get your first frost.
I have noticed once my figs started ripening that they doubled in size on some. All within a week. Some only grew a little bigger. What strange plants! Bob, they may ripen, still time.
We have one more week of 80F weather here, then to the 70’s. I have some too that look like they won’t make it. My Chicago Hardy is in a container and has ripe figs. I guess I’m going to leave it there!
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You have convinced me that I really need to have a few figs. I really appreciate knowing which figs may be hardy in the colder regions.
Bob,
I hope your figs make it! We are getting pretty close on time and sometimes plants figure that out. It’s the Kansas sunlight and heat I think. We ripen a lot of stuff early. We are back in the 90 degree temperatures again. Those brown colored figs grew a lot in size each week. The strange part is my original fig that set is green as a gourd and not ripening and has been on the bush months. These relative new figs decided they were going to start browning and growing in size right away. The riper figs are on the west side of the bush and the green one is on the east so sunlight is a factor. The other thing I noticed is the fig that set first is slightly shaded by foliage. The figs that grow on top of the bush seem much better off.
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This is what happens when a damned fool picks his fig too soon:
My sole RdB was getting dark and soft to the touch. It stuck out like a sore thumb. Inside the eye, I could see it was getting red.
I simply could not wait any longer, so I picked it.
After slicing it open, I could see it was clearly under-ripe and had that latex/vegetative off flavor.
Oh well. I knew better. I should have waited longer. Maybe next year…
Matt,
I did something very ignorant this week. I was traveling out of town and left my truck parked in front of my figs! Parked the truck at night and did not think about it but I was blocking the western sun for my fig bush! That sun was the very thing ripening my figs so when I got back they had not ripened anymore at all! Can’t afford to give up those 90 degree days like that this time of year. The bush also set additional figs this week which likely have no chance to ripen. Could be a warm winter like last year but I don’t think so.
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I dry ones like that. It makes them a lot better.
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Matt,
Those Rada knives like your using are excellent http://www.radacutlery.com/ ! I made a mistake with my first set and put them through the dishwasher.
I’ve found RdB needs to start shriveling at the stem to be at it’s best.
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I think that’s true with just about all dark figs.
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Me too! Sometimes I have to pick early as I’m leaving town. Thursday I’m leaving till Monday night. So any that would rot while gone I pick. I don’t expect to harvest many more perfectly ripe figs, I’ll be working out of town for most of September, I mean October, man time is flying!
Do they rust or water under the handle?
The dish soap eats into the metal handles and corrodes them. It’s not rust. They look pretty bad afterwards but still are very functional.
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OK that sucks! I don’t have these knives, something much cheaper! I could use a good set! I usually hand wash and dry my knives. I put them away right away too. I sharpen often too. I like them as sharp as possible.
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They are really good knives!
I have a small unknown variety fig tree in a pot with 7 unripe figs. For the past 5 days daytime temperatures have been in the 60s with clouds, drizzle and rain. The low sun angle is giving me a lot of shade this time of year when it is sunny. I though there would be no chance of the figs ripening. I checked this morning and one of the figs has doubled in size in the last week. This fig seems to be able to ripen even with cool cloudy weather. There is hope.
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They better ripen soon here if they are going to because Kansas winter weather will be here very soon. I’ve seen it turn blistering cold in October.
I just harvested my one fig for the year, an excellent RdB. I don’t think any of the others will ripen, they look like Bobs figs above.
Scott
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Most of my figs got a little olive oil smeared on the eyes to speed up the ripening process.
That coincided with frequent rain like 3 times a week after a summer drought. Those figs balloooned up rapidly in over a week and turned colored. One fig tree, CH, is in ground, the rest are in pots.
The ripe figs from olive oil treatment tasted awful. Some tasted more fermented than the others. All tasted off. I had some ripe CH before the treatment so I know how they were supposed to taste like.
It could be too much rain. I would like to think it is the combination of rain and the oil. All my Paradiso were unedible. All had fermented taste, one was moldy inside. The White Genoa did not taste as bad but far from pleasant.
The rest probably will not ripen in time.
If any of you treated your figs with olive oil, could you please share your experience?
