Hello,
      I found this interesting document about fresh fig quality while researching a related topic.    I've come across similar "quality standard" documents before for both dried and fresh figs but thought this one really stood out.    There are some very nice photographs that illustrate the various quality issues they describe.
    http://www.ekonomi.gov.tr/upload/BD4C7937-070B-D44B-459D8929CBF22C26/Draft%20Fresh%20Figs%20Brochure.pdf 

  The commercial standards seem to be quite stringent and agree with most of the categories of unacceptable defects (related to sales to the public).   I don't agree with the issues of size or color abnormalities.   Is it clean, safe to eat and good tasting?   Anyway, I thought this might be a fun and useful document.

Byron (Ingevald)

wow, shocking!
No wonder the prices are so high.
I wouldn't want to be a farmer.

This is why you walk into a grocery store and see rows and rows of shiny perfectly shaped uniformly colored apples that taste like cardboard.  Produce is bought and sold on appearance.  Some of these rules make sense, but in my opinion surface blemishes and discolorations should be allowed. 

Also, when figs (and many other fruits) are perfectly ripe, they are much too ugly to meet any of these standards and probably wouldn't last more than a day or two in transit.

All the more reason to grow your own.

And they taste very bad. Not much sweetness and a slight tart taste. They are dry too. This is what we get from Turkey. Mine taste so much better but are smaller.

Byron, this is great information know!  Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for your comments.   I agree that it must indeed be difficult to meet commercial fig standards.   Yes, a reason that prices are high.   Growing fresh figs for market takes time and attention to the crop.

Appearance (within reason) should not be of huge concern.  Discoloration, size issues, weird shapes, etc., should not really matter as long as the fruit is ripe, not affected by disease or infested with insects, and split open.

There has been discussion about commercially viable fruit before.    So much concern is placed on the color and the inside color.   I remember reading that some otherwise good varieties for commercial production were rejected because of a particular inside color.   This was in regards to the USDA fig breeding program in California.    Sierra and Sequoia were the top commercially viable figs that came out of that program.   However, many of the other crosses have resulted in some very good (if not excellent) figs as well.  They just did not meet all of the parameters that would make them an ideal candidate for commercial fig production.

I think that we are all in agreement that the best figs come from homegrown plants - fully ripened.

I live near Kansas City and fresh figs do show up in stores.   I've seen Conadria, Mission, Brown Turkey, and Sierra.    I've tried all of them and they were all wretched.    Some local folks that I have visited with think they are "okay" but apparently have not experienced a fully ripe fig.    These fresh figs are picked too early and still have the nasty tasting latex inside and are missing the full flavor and sweetness.

Byron (Ingevald)

Ingevald, 

Thank you for showing this paper
Very interesting set of rules .

Speedmaster, you have all the 'ingredients' to test these varieties on your yard, Worth trying..

Francisco
Portugal

Ingelvald,

Thank you for the interesting link. I am curious why a paper from Turkey is in English.
Bursa looked very good.  I might try to grow it.

Wondering if Turkey has the wasp and if those varieties are Common or Smyrna type.  Either way, I don't like turkish dried figs.  But they might be good fresh.  For commercially available dried figs, I like Greek, Conadria, or Black Mission better than the Turkish or Calimyrna types.

of course Turkey has Wasps.
So do in Greece and entire Mediterranean countries and E & W Europe and Middle East and India and Far East African Certain states if not most... they are in more places than we used to know.