Frist fig of the season

And what a fig it was. I only got to eat half as Linda got the other half but it took me 3 bites to eat my share. Great tasting and sweet.
"gene"

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...4E9599045E.jpg

Oh my! Never seen one that big before.

:yikes

Keep on and your figs gonna be as big as those onions you grow

That's a nice one! They all grow that big?

Nice, do you know what variety it is? My biggest ones are about the size if a marble!

The variety of this fig is unknown. It was bought off of Ebay as a Celeste, by a friend near Chicago, which is definitely is not. I have had it for a number of years but the rains have always caused them to split and sour. This year and this fig is different. It did rain earlier this week but this fig didn't sour. I'm hoping for a rather dry end of the month and beginning of next month. Maybe I'll get a better idea about this fig.

Redge my Celeste are not much bigger. Then are in the stagnate stage where they seem not to grow anymore, then boom all of a sudden they start swelling and the ripening all too fast. I guess that's what make Celeste a good canning fig. It ripens it's crop very quickly giving you plenty to work with. The reason I'm growing many varieties is to get an extended season. I'm hoping to be able to eat fresh figs from June to first frost.
"gene"

Thanks for the info PPG, being in LA you all are way ahead of us on the schedule. I will send you a PM after while to discuss figs! That is a monster!! I have the Brown Turkey and the LSU purple.

Redge, yes please do.
"gene"

Gene,
Is that martin's unknown? I hope it was delicious. I picked my first fig Wednesday. It was an unusually large Celeste, way ahead of the crowd. Earliest fig i can remember from a celeste. Anyway congrats on finally getting a good ripe one. I have a Poppa jon (still one of my favorites) ripening up to perfection today, and my daughter is with her grandma, so it's all mine!! (well half for the wife half for me)...you know how it goes...
Thanks for sharing.
PS heard one of my coworkers neighbors has done well twice this week on perch in the orange grove.

Cal

Yes Cal, that is a Martin's UK. Thanks for the tip on the perch but it will have to wait until I return from vacation.
"gene"

WOW that is a nice fig. I had never seen one that big. Does that type make good perserves?

I don't know about preserves, as this is the first year that I get to taste one. It taste almost as good as Celeste so I imagine in would make a good jam or jelly. I like smaller figs to preserve whole.
"gene"

It's interesting about that large fig you posted seeing that all the plants you had going were small (at least what I saw). I had posted a comment about your fig trees in containers in the background on a thread you posted about a nice catch with your grandson. How do you do it? Are they all in containers? Sorry, just curious Gene. When we meet for the Toledo Bend gathering the last weekend of February, bring one up - I'll buy one from you.

Randy the tree that fig came off of is planted in the ground. I'm not sure that I have a little one of that variety but if I do I'll bring it up.
"gene"

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/th...y-emoticon.gif

Randy here are a few shots of my mature trees in the chicken pen/orchard.
"gene"

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...DB8AA11E0A.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...8185B3BC20.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...20C67966FF.jpg

Wow! Very nice. The netting is an excellent idea. The birds right now are tearing up the peaches here. That's first class. Thanks for the post.

I have been watching mine and waiting. My tree is full. Last year I had so many I put a few in the dehydrator. Talk about good. I eat my fill every day when they start to ripen and dry the rest. Last year I was picking a quart to a gallon a day. My satsumas lemons and kumquats are loaded this year.

Nice set up. Built in bug patrol and fertilizers.

Thanks for the comments. Saute this year was the first time I tasted dried figs but they were store bought. I thought they were pretty good but would love to dry some myself. If I find time I might try some. Do you do them whole or cut in half, and what are you drying them with. The netting has worked just fine and the chickens do there part.
"gene"

I use a regular dehydrator. I just wash them and pat them dry then dehydrate for about 24 to 36 hours. They are sweet when finished. I can eat them like candy. Way better than store bought.

Saute, another way I want to try and keep some is the way an old farmer I met a couple of years back did it. He would peel the figs, mash them with a little sugar, put them in small containers like yogurt cups and freeze them. When he got the urge to eat some, he'd take a cup out of the freezer and set it on the counter for a little while to soften, then he'd eat it like ice cream.
"gene"

​I am checking our little fig tree twice a day they are plentiful but no ripe ones yet.

oh I am going to make fig ice cream and fig sorbet this year. Thanks for the idea. Last year I made satsuma sorbet and lemon sorbet with the extras when the freeze came along.

Keep checking Cappy. Figs are late this year because of the cold Spring but it shouldn't be too long. That one fig was way ahead of every other fig I have.
"gene"

The wife always picks at me for constantly checking the stuff in da yard. I walk around 3 or 4 times a day just looking watching for first fig garden sprouts, or the fruit thats almost ready. Done looked at the fig tree 2 or 3 times already today and its noon. :biggrin Pretty sure I aint gonna miss the figs ripening.
I dug this recipe up from or blog for saute86 try this lemmony treat. Very easy freezer trick.

http://cappyandpegody.blogspot.com/2...for-grown.html

Thanks. I have a gelato machine that I use to make ice cream and sorbets. To make sorbets I ad fruit puree to simple syrup and churn. I sure like the lemon pepper jelly one. My favorite is lemon curd.

Gene that is an impressive looking fig. I saw a tree with figs like that once in Winnsboro several years ago. I should have taken a cutting then. i might want to see if I can talk you out of a cutting this winter.