So last summer I bought a fig plant at a local nursery that had the "Colasanti Italian Fig" label on it. I called Colasanti's afterwards and asked if they knew if it was the white or dark. They asked where I bought it and the size of the pot. They assured me it was the Dark fig. Well this plant put on about 20 figs this year so I was quite excited to taste the Colasanti dark that members have said is pretty good. This one started to swell over the last couple days so moved the pot into the greenhouse. I could see it was turning the wrong colour to be the dark lol. Oh well.....  still excited to try my first homegrown fig!

The eye has opened in the last couple days, drooped, and its really quite soft now. I don't know whether to leave it a day or 2 longer or take it now. Should I let it get REALLY wrinkled up before taking it off??

Tyler

Wait till it's completely limp.  Protecting it with an organza bag will help keep the insects out.

thanks Bob... I don't have that but have some old window screening maybe that will do the job.

If my memory is correct there are 2 Colasanti's  -- One Dark & one White. I think Nelson has some that
would be ripening soon.

Yes thats right Paul there are 2. A generous member in my area had already given me a white so I was kind of disappointed to see this one was the same lol.

I just bought a Colasanti Brown Honey and emailed them to see what variety/type it is.  This is the reply I got back:

"Over the past couple of decades we have only grown the White and Brown Honey Fig.  If the label says brown honey than that is the correct variety name."

It looks like they have two varieties - a dark called Brown Honey and a white.

I also have two other Colasanti figs and according to Nelson they are a dark (likely Brown Honey) and a white Italian.  So far no figs so I can't confirm.

When I talked to them this year they said they were going with Brown Turkey as of this year. I wonder if they renamed it Brown Honey??

According to Colasanti, Brown Honey and Brown Turkey are two different varieties.  I did not paste the entire email which had a paragraph on their Brown Turkey:
"This past year, we decided to add a new variety named Brown Turkey.  Brown Turkey is claimed to be more winter hardy than Brown Honey.  Something to look for next year. If you decide to purchase a Brown Turkey, please let us know if your opinion on the taste of the fruit."

So they now have three varieties - a white Italian, Brown Honey (dark Italian) & Brown Turkey & maybe more.

In previous years colasanti farms sold 3 different figs sold as Italian fig one is dark similar to hardy Chicago but better flavored in my opinion.

2nd fig was a big yellow fig with an open eye and hollow centre flavor is pretty good but nothing special it resembles the Armenian fig possibly the same.

3rd fig is also a white fig very similar to dalmatie.

This year they introduced two new varieties brown honey looks like Brunswick to me in terms of leaf shape I haven't got to sample any figs yet but leaves are different than the above 3.

Their brown turkey I also have and should have ripe fruit this year.

So in total they have sold atleast 5 different figs in the last 4-5 years and I have all 5 now.

Nelson, how did they do in the ground for you? I recall you planted them out.

John

Thanks for that info Nelson.. 

Checked on the fig today and the outside was very soft so decided to take it off. My first taste of a ripe fig! The hollow centre ones never look overly appealing compared to the jammy looking ones you see on here but I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. Not overly flavorful but a nice hint of sweetness. A little bit of crunch. I thought the skin would not be that edible but it was and ate the whole thing :)

So looks like the #2 you described above Nelson.

Tyler if you leave it on the tree until it has sugar spots it's actually very sweet but I had issues with ants entering the ostiole and spoiling the figs. I dug my inground tree this spring and have in a pot now but last year main crop was weighing anywhere between 90-100 grams.

I found the flavour with the C. white to improve greatly if watering was severely restricted during the ripening phase.
To keep the ants out I used a ring of tanglefoot on duct tape around the trunk.

Thanks for tips guys....

Thanks for all the info.  Nelson, I didn't know that there were two different white varieties.  My two mature Italians bought in 2010 set some figs this year but I think they are all going to dry up and fall off - most have already.  I'll have to wait till next year & hopefully will get some mature figs so I can tell which white variety I have.

Hi Robert, yes there are two whites one has light colored pulp with hollow center the other has red pulp and resembles the dalmatie fig has similar leaves also.

I got rid of this fig for the reasons nelson mentioned, spoilage and ants would go in it like crazy (I don't mind eating the ants if they eat my figs I eat them) but then towards september and october it would get botrytis inside and the taste for me never was spectacular, hopefully it does better for you, in ground it is hardy if protected and will grow very rapidly in my experience, but the dark did better for me, and I have it in ground for a year now with 100 figs after I pruned the smaller ones off, plus for me it has a much better taste, all seem very productive though.

I got my yellow one in 2009 as my first plant, and have had increasing numbers of figs each year starting in 2010. This year there are about 60, even with the cold spring. I grow in a pot, so can control the water in the fall while ripening, and avoiding the spoilage that chivas mentioned. It is decent tasting, and grows strongly in our climate, so a good fig to start with. I have minimal space, so will need to be selective in time.