Figs are a delicious fruit that can be enjoyed fresh or dried But knowing when figs are perfectly ripe and ready to eat is key to experiencing their sweet, jammy flavor at its peak This complete guide will teach you how to identify ripe figs through sight, touch, and taste.
What Do Ripe Figs Look Like?
Ripe figs will show several visual signs indicating they are ready for harvest
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Color change – Unripe figs are green. As they ripen, the skin transitions to purple, brown, black, or yellow, depending on variety. Kadota figs stay green when ripe.
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Size – Figs plump up as they ripen. A ripe fig will be much bigger than an unripe one.
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Drooping – Ripe figs hang down, while unripe fruit sticks straight out. The ripe fig’s stem softens and bends.
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Cracks or splits: As the flesh swells, the skin often cracks or splits open. Look for small cracks radiating out from the stem.
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Nectar drop: When ripe, some types leak a sweet “honey” drop from the eye.
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Dullness – The skin loses its shine, taking on a matte look.
How to Tell if a Fig Is Ripe by Touch
The best way to assess ripeness is by feel. A ripe fig will be soft and pliant when gently squeezed. An unripe fig feels hard and stiff.
Specifically, check the neck or stem end. Ripe figs soften from the bottom up. If you can press on the neck and feel some give, the whole fig is ready.
Avoid figs with hard necks – they were picked prematurely and won’t ripen off the tree.
How to Tell if a Fig Is Ripe by Taste
Biting into a fig is the definitive way to tell if it’s ripe. Ripe figs taste lusciously sweet, with a soft, smooth, jammy texture.
Underripe figs taste plain, woody, or even sour. They lack sweetness and juiciness. Don’t rely on looks – taste a sample fig to be sure of ripeness.
When Do Figs Ripen?
Fig season runs from July through September in most regions. Different varieties follow a staggered ripening timeline:
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Early varieties – ripen in July/early August
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Mid-season varieties – ripen in August
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Late varieties – ripen in late August/September
Breba figs precede the main crop by 1-2 months. Warm climates tend to yield earlier, bigger crops. Cool climates delay ripening and reduce yields.
How Long Do Figs Take to Ripen?
On average, figs take 80-90 days to ripen after the fruit initially sets. But exact timing varies:
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Early figs – 70-80 days
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Mid-season figs – 90 days
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Late figs – 90+ days
Factors like variety, climate, and care (pruning, watering, etc) impact ripening speed. Monitor your tree to learn its habits.
Common Reasons Why Figs Don’t Ripen
If your figs refuse to ripen, a few factors could be to blame:
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Lack of pollination – Only caprifigs and Smyrna figs require pollination. But lack of pollinators slows ripening.
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Underwatering – Drought stress causes figs to drop before ripening.
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Insufficient sunlight – Figs on shaded parts of the tree often drop before maturing.
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Young tree – Young, stressed trees frequently drop fruit before ripening.
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Cold weather – Cool temps delay ripening and maturity.
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Overcropping – Too much fruit stresses the tree, slowing ripening.
Can You Ripen Picked Green Figs?
Figs will not ripen if picked prematurely while still green and hard. The best flavor develops only on the tree. Picked figs may soften off the tree, but will lack sweetness and juice.
How to Harvest Ripe Figs
When figs pass the ripe tests, harvest them! Here’s how:
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Wear gloves to avoid irritating sap. Long sleeves help too.
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Gently lift the fig upward and twist to detach from the branch.
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Avoid pulling or breaking the fruit – this damages the neck and reduces shelf life.
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Handle carefully to avoid bruising.
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Eat right away, or store in the fridge up to 3 days.
Enjoy your bounty of sweet, luscious homegrown figs! With this guide’s tips for identifying ripeness through sight, touch and taste, you’ll be an expert at picking figs at perfect maturity for maximum flavor and enjoyment.
When are Figs Ready to Pick?
- Step 1: Use the above-mentioned visual clues to look for figs on the tree.
- Step 2: Give those figs’ necks a light squeeze to see how soft they are.
- Step 3: Pick the figs with the softest necks.
What Month Do Figs Ripen?
- Figs may only be ready to be picked for a short time. Often going quickly from not ripe enough to fully ripe to overripe One day of time can be the difference.
- If you don’t pick your figs before they get soft and swollen, birds, squirrels, and bugs like wasps, ants, slugs, and fruit flies may. If you beat them to it and don’t let animals and bugs in the area know where your fig tree is, you’ll get more fruit without having to protect your crops.
- Figs are very sensitive to climatic events. One way to make sure that rain doesn’t ruin the harvest is to pick the crops before it rains a lot.
When to Harvest Figs – How to Tell When Figs are Ripe
FAQ
Will figs ripen after you pick them?
Figs will not continue to ripen after they are picked like many other fruits. You can tell that it is time for harvesting figs when the fruit necks wilt and the fruits hang down. If you pick a fig fruit too early, it will taste horrible; ripe fruit is sweet and delicious.
What color are figs when ripe?
One of the first signs your figs are becoming ripe is their change in color. Young, immature and unripe figs tend to be small and green in hue. For varieties like Brown Turkey, Chicago Hardy, Celeste, and LSU Purple, the color will change from green to brown or purple as the fruit ripens.
Can you let figs ripen on counter?
Figs don’t usually keep getting riper after they’ve been picked, though they might get a little softer on the counter. Picked too early, the juices and sugars produced as a fig ripens are not yet fully developed.
How do you know if figs are ripe?
Choosing fresh figs at the grocery store is a multi-sensory experience. Fully ripe figs are vibrant in color, yet slightly soft and plump when handled. These fall delicacies should yield slightly when given a gentle squeeze. Also, check the outside of each fig to make sure there are no cuts or signs of rotting.
Do figs ripen after they are picked?
Figs don’t really ripen much after they’re picked, but if you have a fig that’s almost ripe, there are ways to help it along a bit. It’s good to know that just leaving figs at room temperature won’t make them ripen.
How do you know when figs are ready to harvest?
Some figs have shades of rust brown, some have dark purple hues, and others stay green. Also, look at the neck of the fruit: if it has a slight bend instead of sticking straight out, then your figs are ready to be harvested. When picking your figs off the tree, gently remove the fruit from the stem.