Fig tree and figs

[sandsnakes]

Hi chaps,

I have a fig tree in my garden which for the first time ever is covered in figs. What do I do and how do I save them and ripen them off?

Any ideas?

Sandsnakes

 

[robin wood]

Advice from Monty Don "Figs can produce three crops simultaneously and invariably have two on the go at any one time. At this time of year there will be the large ripening figs, half-sized ones and, if you look closely, tiny pea-sized - even pin-head - fruit tucked into a joint between stem and leaf. These tiny ones are next year's harvest. The in-between ones - essentially any that do not ripen by the middle of October - will never ripen in northern Europe. In a mild winter they start into further growth, but the skins are tough, so they split and fall off, which weakens the plant and delays the growth of the very small ones, meaning that they often fail to ripen too. So the solution is to wait until November and then ruthlessly remove every single fig bigger than a pea. Resist the temptation to spare some that are hazelnut sized and put your trust in the minute figlets - these will grow and swell rapidly the following summer."
Source http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2005/sep/18/shopping.gardens

The figs in the walled Garden at Beningbrough in York produce huge crops every year but are on a good south facing wall. Figs have a fascinating development being pollinated by a tiny wasp that lives inside the tiny developing figlet. The males are wingless and their only purpose is to mate with the female and then chew a hole of her to escape from the fig. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fig_wasp

 

[Peter_t]

these tiny wasps are rare in the uk, tbh you'l be luck if any ripen at all. they will turn black when they are ripe. i have only ever had one ripe fig and my god they are nice! the ones you buy in the supermarket tast pretty nasty compaired to a fresh one.


pete

 

[Hugo]

I like to do a bit of scrumping (from the pavement on figs) and have a couple of sites that I visit each year, all I can say is, they are an absolute fantastic fruit when ripe.

 

[johnnytheboy]

Fig jam, I just came home from my friends house with 3 ltres of fig jam his mum made, he has piles of them as well, he is in marsielle though.

I was gonna try this

http://entertaining.about.com/gi/o....aiwancenter.com/recipe/en/tea-sandwiches.html


Also i seen a recipe somewhere for fig crips and foie gras, gotta try that

 

[British Red]

I constantly hear the myth that figs cannot ripen in the UK.

All I can say is that a walk through several of the villages on the South Downs at this time of year shows how wrong that is. I have walked along roads near Bushwacker Bobs place and seen them hanging over the pavement - large, juicy and ripe. The trees are 20' tall and covered in ripe figs and clearly not "tended".

As with most things tree related - climate, conditions, soil and time are key

Red

 

[British Red]

Oh - heres a few piccs - and no, I'm not sharing the locations

 

[Robbi]

looks like aliens mouth !!!

 

[ged]

I have loads of fig trees, I don't do anything to nurture them, and they produce loads of figs. Oh, they're in the south of France.

Yes, they are a superb fruit, probably my favourite. Yes, fig jam is great although I prefer the fruit whole, you can bottle them.

 

[Tadpole]

There is a 'wild' fig tree that Grows in the heart of Bristol, by Castle Green near one of the bigger Car Parks, and it has ripe fruit every year. Sweet, and free.

 

[sandsnakes]

yes, all good advice but what do I do? The advice on the net is so contradictory? So when do I collect them? most of them are about the size of a pecan nut, should I cover them or the tree to keep the temperature up? do we have a native form of the fig wasp? how do i convince a fig wasp to live in ealing?

This and other questions concern me.!

Sandsnakes

 

[robin wood]

yes, all good advice but what do I do? The advice on the net is so contradictory? So when do I collect them? most of them are about the size of a pecan nut, should I cover them or the tree to keep the temperature up? do we have a native form of the fig wasp? how do i convince a fig wasp to live in ealing?

This and other questions concern me.!

Sandsnakes

I have never heard of anything that helps ripen figs that are not going to do it naturally, be patient, either they will or they wont. I don't think they will ripen once picked though.

 

[gregorach]

yes, all good advice but what do I do? The advice on the net is so contradictory? So when do I collect them? most of them are about the size of a pecan nut, should I cover them or the tree to keep the temperature up? do we have a native form of the fig wasp? how do i convince a fig wasp to live in ealing?

This and other questions concern me.!

Sandsnakes

It's quite likely that you have a variety of fig which will ripen without pollination, so no need for fig wasps.

 

[ged]

... be patient, either they will or they wont.

This is good advice. You're dealing with trees, so you're talking about seasons, not days. Figs have at least two years' worth of fruit on them, so you only want to pick the ones that are ripening now. There might not be any left on your tree, the birds will be up a lot earlier than you. Figs are one of the most delicate fruits which is partly why you see them less often than things like apples and pears. They don't keep well, even refrigerated, unless dried or preserved -- but the preserves are delicious! There's some advice about checking for ripeness here. You're looking for something slightly soft which smells nice. It's not rocket science. The tree might drop its fruit before they're ripe if it isn't happy, if it does that you can try to ripen them at home but be prepared for disappointment. You're going to have to learn about your tree. There are many varieties, they produce fruit of widely different colouration and ripen at different times. I don't have a clue what variety my figs are.

I don't think they will ripen once picked though.

They will if they aren't too green when picked.

 

[johnnytheboy]

I read if you were planting fig trees in the UK, to keep their roots in a contained environment, what it said was by restricting the trees ability to grow roots it would then use energy to grow more fruit, it said it was the only way to get a reliable and decent amount of figs from a tree!!!

Wether this is right or not i'm not sure, but i'm gonna plan one next year so i will find out soon enough.

Its one of the great things about my friends house in france is the huge amount of figs, plus he and his family are tiny, so i can pick all the nice ones up above for myself!!!

 

[Left Turn]

I am out in California, so much of what I say may not apply. I have a fig espaliered on a west facing wall (stucco in full sun) that went absolutely crazy this year. So many figs I could not keep up. It is a Brown Turkey fig. I have never tried drying them to preserve them since I think that probably would not work. These figs have a window of ripeness - too soon and they are bitter and horrible even though they are soft - too long and they've fermented on the tree! They'd probably ferment while drying. So I pick figs twice a day - noon and early evening. If I can lift the fig and give it a little twist and it comes off the tree, it is ready to go. Sometimes though it may already be fermented. If I have to fight it off the tree it will not be ripe. I finally lost the fig war and pruned it back a few weeks ago.
I would try taking figs off the tree at various stages and find the characteristics of a ripe fig for your tree/location by trial and error.

 

[lannyman8]

if you do have some figs that fall off and are not ripe, try puting them in a brown paper bag on the window sill, this also works with tomatoes and other fruit.....

when ripe try puting them in a baking tray with some butter and brown sugar, bake in the oven covered with foil for 20 mins, then remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 mins.....

awesome...............

 

[pteron]

Fig tree here at friends house we are looking after. Loads of figs on it, but not as sweet as those I've had in sunnier climes. But the chickens love them and boy do they produce nice eggs at the moment!