A Sweet Harvest
On Monday, I harvested my first fruit from my ‘Hardy Chicago’ fig tree. I’ve been keeping my eye on it for a while, watching and waiting for it to come ripe. Since I’ve never grown figs before, and my eating of them has been mostly reserved to the dried kind, I wasn’t exactly sure when it was ripe.
Somewhere, I read that once they start to droop and crack you know they’re ready to harvest. Mine was turning a beautiful shade of purple and was slightly soft, I figured it was time.
I took it inside and cut it open to reveal it’s beautiful jeweled interior. It was perfectly ripe. Mr Chiots and I each enjoyed half, the typical crunchy seeds reminiscent of the fig newtons I ate as a kid, but much less sweet and so much better. I think this may be the first ripe fig I’ve ever eaten, I cannot recall ever having one. There are still 4 or 5 figs on this tree, and a few on the fig tree I purchased at Monticello last summer. I hope these still ripen with the weather turning colder.
Figs are such a wonderfully exotic fruit, they remind me of many of the different fruits I ate during my childhood in Colombia, especially guava. I certainly miss the tropical flavors I became accustomed to during my youth, it can be tough to find a good mango, papaya, maracuya, or guava here in Ohio.
What’s your favorite fruit that’s not native to your area? Do you grow any exotics?
Filed under Edible, Fruit | Comments (27)
Wow, I never thought of having a fig tree. It looks so yummy, like candy.
We try to grow natives here, some of which might be considered exotics in other parts of the country! Enjoy!
to daisy's comment
I love blood oranges ever since we had them while traveling in Italy. I also thought about buying a fig tree but am never very good about bringing non hardy species of plants indoors once it gets cold. Does it go dormant inside for the winter?
to kathi cookk's comment
Mine go dormant during the winter, they lose all their leaves and then start coming out again in February. Technically this hardy Chicago should overwinter outside here at Chiot’s Run. I’m going to get a start from this one to try overwintering before planting this plant outside.
to Susy's comment
I have a ‘Brown Turkey’ fig tree ( i love the name ) which i grow outside here in the UK It lives in a huge tub near the house….but only as I couldnt make up my mind where to plant it! Its pretty tough as it got down past -15c here last winter.
Obviously it needs plenty of water and feeding but it crops well; fresh figs are a real treat.
And….I really will make up my mind soon about where to plant it! lol.
to Mich's comment
I don’t know that it is exotic or ‘not’ native, but we have 6 Quince trees in our apple orchard and when we purchased our property, they were new to us. As we embark on our journey to be apple farmers, we find more and more, that most people don’t know what Quince are!
to Allison's comment
We have some hybrid kiwi and some hybrid cranberries as well.
Amy
to goatpod2's comment
I love fig newtons! I rarely ever eat them. I’ve seen dried figs in the store, but fresh would be fantastic, I bet!
to Andrea Duke's comment
I’m jealous! I just picked up one of these Chicago Hardy fig trees for like $8 at Lowes early this summer, and like you, I potted it up so it could be moved indoors over winter. Not long after getting it fruit appeared, and they’re still on the tree, and still very green. I’m not sure if they’ll be duds since this is it’s first year getting any real room for it’s roots to grow, etc? Who knows, maybe the fruits will ripen before we get hit with frost. How fast did yours go from green to brown?
Love your site!
to Jeph's comment
The fruit set earlier this summer, I can’t really remember how long it takes, I feel like forever – but a watched pot never boils! I think it was a few weeks or a month.
to Susy's comment
That made me chuckle to hear it described as exotic. They are as common as an apple or orange here in the South. However, I’m extremely jealous that you have figs right now– fig season is over here! And it was very short this year, the birds got most of the figs on my husband’s grandmother’s tree! We really need to get our own! They are one of my husband’s favorite fruits. I hadn’t tried them since my childhood until this year– they are amazing. Glad I tried them again since I didn’t care for them as a child. Love them now!
to Melissa's comment
Fruit, in general, are exotic for me! I’m allergic to most fruit that you eat the skins… but I take the punishment and eat them anyway!
I grew up eating Permissions and Asian Pears. I never knew until I started reading up on fruit tree’s that Permissions *are* native to the U.S.! So they’re not entirely exotic… hehe!
I know when I start up a fruit tree area in my backyard, I will want to have Permissions, Asian Pears, and the elusive [on my list of need-to-eat] Pawpaw! [and Medlars… and Plums…]
to Donna B.'s comment
Citrus. Any kind of citrus. I was spoiled living in Hawaii with an enormous orange tree in or backyard and in Arizona where we had two tangerine trees. Someday I’ll have a small lemon tree in a pot inside. When I can find the window space . . .
to kristin @ going country's comment
I’m a sucker for citrus as well, LOVE LOVE LOVE it – each year I order a few cases of a variety of citrus. I also got spoiled in Colombia with delicious oranges.
to Susy's comment
Oranges or anything citrus.
to MAYBELLINE's comment
I like mangoes and clementines, but I also like lots of fruits that can be grown in Michigan (peaches, nectarines, etc.).
I’ve never had a fresh fig, looks yummy.
to Daedre Craig's comment
My in laws are Mediterrean and have wonderful fig trees all over their backyard. They are at the prime of picking when the little circle on the base of the fruit starts to open up. Wait another day and the syrup starts dripping out, so have you to be fast!
to SixBalloons's comment
The first time I ate a fig, I was in Turkey. It was pure heaven…they taste nothing at all like dried figs. It’s really a shame I haven’t been able to find figs as tasty as the ones in Turkey since I left :(
to iris's comment
I have quite a few tropicals: Chirimoya, papayas, guavas, mango and fig trees. They grow like weed over here in Southern California, and that’s the problem. Some of them have to be severely pruned every few years.
to Lee's comment
do you have to peel it, or just eat it as is?
i just had a volunteer fig tree start growing this spring—probably dropped by the birds from a neighbor’s tree—I am excited, but it has yet to fruit.
to Tommy's comment
Nope just eat as is – I didn’t even rinse it!
to Susy's comment
I feel a little guilty commenting on this post as I live in coastal Southern California and can grow an abundance of fruit. Figs in particular do well in my climate. I have two black misson figs – delicious -and a white skinned fig I don’t know the name of, I planted it as a cutting I received in a trade about 14 years ago and it is now huge and just ready to have it’s first major harvest. I also just put in a panache fig, striped on the outside with an inside like jam. I’ll let you know how that goes.
I also grow citrus – oranges, limes, lemons, tangarines and grapefruit, I had a blood orange but I lost it, I need to plant another. That is an amazing fruit.
I also have many avacado, pomegranate, sapote, cherimoya, persimmon, apricot, apple, nectarine, guava, and plum.
I just put in some experiments, a rose apple, which is an apple with the aroma of rose, I have high hopes for that one and some ollaberry canes. Berries are hard in my zone.
I lose a lot of fruit to birds and squirrels and am experimenting with new techniques to combat that. My latest is the inflatable preditor eye they use in the fields. So far so good.
Anyway, long answer to a simple question. Suzy, I love your blog, just found it recently when I was passing on some cinderella pumpkin seeds to a friend who had admired them in my garden. I googled the pumpkin to give her some back strory and came upon your post and have been a fan ever since.
to Traci Donat's comment
What a wonderful variety of fruit you can grow – sounds like Eden! Thanks for commenting and introducing yourself – great to hear you’re enjoying the blog!
to Susy's comment
We have a magnificent old fig tree with two crops a year. The second is always the better one. Wait until you’ve had them fresh with prosciutto or made some fig jam. yummy yummy
to alison@thisbloominglife's comment
Um, yes, I love prosciutto and I just found a local source for a good variety imported from Italy – should be tasty – will be buying some next week.
to Susy's comment
I would love to hear more about your fig tree. I live in urban Washington DC (zone 7) and am considering a Hardy Chicago, Brown Turkey or Celeste for my yard. The front is full sun, which I’m afraid may be too harsh in the heat of summer, but the back is mostly shady and it would have to be in a container. Any thoughts?
to z's comment
You might also be able to try Brunswick – which is the kind they grow at Monticello. I purchased one of these while we were visiting last summer. I’m going to try propagating this one as well, it’s a zone 7 though, so it most likely won’t make it through the winter like a Hardy Chicago is supposed to here.
to Susy's comment
I love love love fresh figs.. I too got spoiled growing up in the sub-tropics with fig trees all over the place. I plan to get a Chicago Hearty next year but didnt hear about it early enough this year. I never thought it could be possible to grow one outdoors here, but the pictures I’ve seen sure seem to support that.
I buy a box or two of fresh figs every year but they rarely are as good as fresh from the tree.. yum.. Did I mention I love fresh figs?
Nope, I dont grow any exotics. Fresh figs, American persimmons, and bananas are my favorite fruit not native to where I am. :D
to KimH's comment