Hello all,

Just wanted some opinions.  What are your favorite sweet/honey type figs.  Something you grow more for just the refreshing, sweet, juicy goodness rather than for rich or complex flavors.

I scored a gift card to my local nursery and they've got an LSU gold.  Didn't know if I could do a lot better than that in middle Georgia.

Thanks in advance.

Taste is very subjective but I had an LSU Gold from a very young plant and liked it.  It was sweet, juicy and complex.

I agree Bob,when the weather is right ,its hard to beat a LSU Gold from a mature tree..........

DITTO,
DITTO

My favorite yellow fig, may be favorite of all regardless of color.  Great fig, easily rooted, easy to maintain.  Only downside, the eye drips honey/nectar, draws all kinds of stinging insects.

Kadota!  Hands down!!  Period!!
Suzi

LSU Champagne is supposed to have the best flavor of honey type figs from their breeding program.  Also, it seems that Hollier is also more popular for the US SE.

In this order....
Peter's Honey
Excel
Kadota

My vote (so far) is Peter's Honey. There are several that I am waiting on.

I have my fingers crossed that you're right Dennis, the one fig on a large Excel tree last year sucked.

My wife's fave was Peters Honey. Mine, Kadota.

No one with "Goutte d'or" ?
Supposed to drip a drop of honey when ripe . First producing year for my tree this year ... So I can't still tell if it is good or not .
But "Goutte d'or" is a yellowish fig - green or yellow with honey ... Hence the name "drop of gold" .
"Dalmatie" is another yellowish strain . Both are bifera .

Italian Honey Fig
Kadota
Fracazzano Bianco

My Doree (from Baud) produced some mediocre figs last season. I will report on it this year.

I'm hoping my Peter's Honey has some figs this year. I agree with Kadota - outstanding when fully ripened.

Well, sounds like LSU gold, Peter's honey, and Kadota seem to be the big 3.  I might have to snag it.  Maybe I'll get lucky and it will go on sale.

Thanks for the input everyone.

brettjm

With the greatest respect for all suggestions of light honey figs
let me point out two dark varieties, not less honey (on the contrary!) but also to refresh your palate with the typical fig flavors,  and attractive colors.

The juices on the fig of the top pictures are such that the golden orioles keep flying back and forth to suck that honey coming out of the eye and avoid damage or pecking the fruit...Only after all ooze is consumed..they will attack that carmine pulp.

The markings on the top of the fruit of the sec. picture, around the eye, denote their many 'landings' for that tasty syrup to be sucked down to the last drop !!

Figs are Sof.Preto and Violeta (aka Black Madeira).

With either light or dark figs to have them juicy and tasty you need a long Summer and many warm sunny days...

Francisco


   

lampo

Those do look pretty good.  If I could get my hands on some of those I certainly would.  I did place an order for UC davis already that included black madeira...but of course it'll be 10 months before I even get sticks...let alone edible figs.  That assumes I can get them to root too...haha.

Unfortunately, I'm not really sure where to get many different varieties other than my local nursery (which only carries a couple) and home depot (where I scored a $10 chicaco hardy the other day, actually).

Joe,

That's where I saw the LSU golds.  I like Cofers but it gets pricy quick.  I got my LSU purple there last year and it's done great (and thus my "fig problem" began).  It gave me about 25 figs last year, and has over 80 on this year.  I don't think you'll be disappointed with it.

Joe...

Any idea what his mystery fig tree is?

It makes me wonder.  Over on the east side tucked back in one of the neighborhoods (discovered while looking for a house) was a massive fig...not really a tree.  Bush monster?  It's basically a 25 foot sphere of fig out front of someone's house.  I won't lie...I drove by it today and thought "no one would know."  Alas...I'm not that kinda guy.

We don't have Cofers nursery here in So CA, but any nursery has got to be cheaper than buying figs on Ebay!  I loved my first taste of Kadota, and my LSU gold is loaded with figs.  Looking forward to comparing the two.  I don't have any other honey figs to my knowledge.  I have a few unknowns!

Suzi

I have high hopes for yellow long neck

My vote is also Peter's Honey.  (So far, anyway).

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a