I decided to go up to Rocky Top and see if there were any ripe figs on the Bourjasotte Gris.  This is it's first year to bear fruit so I wasn't quite prepared what to expect.

Some should have stayed on the tree longer, but none were overripe.  The flavor was sweet, but not the strawberry flavor I expected.  These are Breba and those aren't usually as good as main crop.  There are so many more Breba ripening on the tree and tons of main crop figs forming now.  This tree is a prolific monster!

JD laughed when I brought them in and told me to compare them to a baseball instead of a quarter...
       I bet next year and the years after the flavor will improve on this amazing fig.

Suzi

Congrats they look yummy!!!!!

Very nice figs Suzi . They look like they could have stayed on at least another week! Is it typical for the Breba of this variety to have that thick white layer or is it because they were way under ripe? You should cover a couple of them up with organza bags and let them stay on the tree until they fall off and then see if they look or taste any different! Thanks for sharing!

ChrisK, I really don't know when these will be ripe.  They were soft and had the droopy neck, but I will leave the rest on for another week and check every few days.  The organza bags do zip for me.  Our critters tear right through them.  Huge waste of money.  BUT, the critters don't seem to bother this tree.  It's so big and the canopy so thick, they can't visually see the ripening figs.  It's even hard for me to find them.

I noticed those that were brownish were riper than the green or yellow ones.  Learning curve!


Suzi

Np fig envy makes me pick the darn things a week early too lol. I remember reading about your critter problem on previous threads that's why I mentioned the organza bags. They work well with bugs and little fig lovers like hornets and wasps but like you said are no use for the " BIRDS"! Try hanging a few old CDs on the branches, that ,might scare them off for a while. Live them(figs) on until they start to wrinkle and see what happens . Every variety acts differently but the main tell tell signs of ripe figs are similar. Like you also said when they feel soft and droop. The Brunswick feels firm and looks half green and half brown but is fully ripe. Some fall off ,others crack and others dry on the tree! It's up to you to figure out which is which. Keep figging and thanks for sharing your results.

Suzy, your giving us all zone envy. Nice job, the figs look good, both types. I also would let them hang longer, but like you said..learning curve. A benefit you have with an in-ground tree in your zone is that you will have many many figs to experiment with over the years and you have the luxury of starting to enjoy figs a little earlier if you want, because you will have many more to allow to ripen to your own preferred ripeness every year.

Very nice figs. Congratulations!
These are the first brebas I see from a Bourjassotte !
My Bourjassotte trees (white-black and listed) never ripen a single breba.

Francisco
Portugal

Great figs Suzi, the color contrast of interior to exterior is nice.

"ChrisK" its a good chance for me to ask you and others:
Do anyone growing with organza bags noticed less molding on fruit interior and less chance for developing spoilage and worms.
If so we can enhance the picking time and shelf life... 

I have a theory that worms and spoiled fruit develop cause minute ants/insects enter the fruit on early stages (even with a small eye) and make it prone for spolage later in the fruit life.

Hey elin. I hope all is well on that part of the globe. I think you're right on that small insects enter the fruit and deposit their eggs and other stuff and that causes the figs to spoil so I'm pretty sure the organza bags could help prevent them from entering . They could also camouflage the dark fruit and make it less visible to larger critters like birds,especially if you could find them in green color. We are talking about small trees with a limited fruit production ( can't imagine trying to bag 500 figs lol)
i wI'll be trying them this year on my mission figs. They taste awesome if fully ripe..

its real dry there so you dont need to worry about rain so i would let the fig droop and let it get the craggle cracking. maximum flavor. its hard to let the fruit ripen because it looks so tasty. your lucky getting fruit this early. have a great day suzie.

I just went up and checked today.  There are a handful swollen to tennis ball size and turning yellow.  Now I know.  Learning Curve.  DO NOT PICK THEM until they are brown and shrivelly.  If they get to the point of being dry, won't be pleased, but... Learning.

Suzi

Besides eating them fresh or drying them how do you use them?  I recently saw a salad dressing with fig in it that I want to give a try.   Bernadette

Last night I sliced only the red parts into a salad with red onion and mixed greens, dressed with a Fig Balsamic and Olive oil.  Salt and Pepper of course!  It could have used a little tart from citrus.  Learning curve.

Suzi

Hey Suzi. You sure know how to throw a salad together,we're salivating over here! Maybe even a few tomatoe slices would add a nice kick to it! Great stuff,thanks for sharing. Will try it as soon as PH Breba get done ,maybe a week or so away....