I can see why this fig sets the standard for "must haves" in anyone collection. My Hardy Chicago did very well in its first year inground giving me a dozen or so figs. Excellent flavour, nice seed crunch.... I just can't say a bad thing about this one.

Tyler

 

 

 

 

I agree with you 100%! Outstanding Taste, low cost,Cold Hardy etc. how can you beat it?

Looks great

When we went to the lsu field day dr johnson was saying how its one of his favorite figs there for taste and production and disease.

Just beautiful Tyler!  It's a great fig and one of my favorites of my limited fig tasting experience. I want to grow a whole orchard of just HC. 

Nice display of figs Tyler!
I too love my Hardy Chicagos and yet it is difficult for me to pick a favourite among my Mount Etna type figs. 
It seems to me they are all a great set of figs and each has its advantages.  Of course I speak from expierence growing them in a cool climate environment.

Thanks guys...

Joe do you see noticeable differences in the different Mount Etna types? 

I concur 100% as well, I think it's one of those core varieties that everyone should have in their collection.  I just finished eating my first few outdoor in-ground HC's a few minutes ago, and they were incredible.  It's also one of my best greenhouse figs, but outdoor-grown is even better and doesn't have issues with mold. 

Those pictures are so beautiful they make me want another HC. Guess I'll just have to air layer away come next season.

WOW Tyler,
that looks great.
This is first year mine has given me any figs.  All much smaller than yours and I was thinking time to get rid of it,
since the taste was just so so.  
Maybe it gets another year.

HC is a great little fig .....mine were excellent this year

Agree, the hardy chicago is really a work horse fig tree. Mine froze last winter and died back to ground so I thoought it was dead. By May it had roared back and now over 7 feet tall with 100+ sweet figs. Great tree and really no fuss because my only tree planted in ground. Figs are delicious. I guess this year I will wrap in burlap and mulch really well.

Barry
Long Island

I have been looking for this Hardy Chicago that I can buy just fruits to eat here in B. C Canada, but so far only available here are mainly Black Mission, Desert King and unknown green fig from some grocery shops. They all imported from California and not local. 

Is this Hardy Chicago? The tree was sold to me as LSU Purple by Stark's Nursery and produces a black fig with an okay flavor and sweetness but is different from my LSU Gold, also sold by Stark's, that turned out to be LSU Purple. Stark's sells Chicago Hardy, so I thought maybe that's what this is, but now I'm not so sure.

   

I can't think of one good thing to say about my hardy chicago, only great things!  Fastest  fig tree I have ever grown!  Quickest to produce figs out of all the figs I have grown!  Most prolific fruiting fig out of all the figs I have grown!  Fastest to ripen!  Best at handling rain! Ripens great in cool temps! And it tastes great every time!  Like a mix of different berries, raspberry, blackberry and strawberry.  

Here is a pic of one that I planted into a 10 gal, on 5/20/15 from a 6 inch rooted cutting.  It is 6 foot tall has 96 figs on it right now, I already ate 4 so that is 100 total so far.  Interested in seeing what it does during the winter, wondering if it will continue to grow and produce year round here.  

 

Thanks Charlie for your comment. Here are pictures of the fruit this morning. They seem more rounded that the other pictures here. The large ripe one tasted sweet and jammy with enough acid to give it a slight berry taste.