These  guys have been ripening up nicely for a week or two.  Do they look good-to-go now or should I wait a day or two to eat them??  One of them is actually a few days riper than the other, but it isn't hanging as much because it is being supported by a stem and branch.

   

Jim

You have a strong will.
me once i see an almost ripe fig i eat it.

anyhow i think it looks ripe . how is the tension near the stalk? is it soft there?
i think if the fruit is drooping it is ripe.

Depends how you like them. I like mine close to what yours are right now, others like them very wrinkled and slightly dried. A good compromise is pick and let it sit overnight. I find they dry out a little and concentrate the sugars.

Eli --  Oh, yeah, they're all floppy and drooping...

Maybe I should pick the riper of the two and then make a judgement call about whether to leave the second one or eat it too!

These are the first Hardy Chicago's I'll be having and the first from this particular tree.  I don't want to jump the gun, but I don't want to wait too long!
Jim

risky game your playing.

the birds and other land animals are watching them too

Yep, protect those babies!

What's a good, easy way to protect them?  Would it be enough to cover them from above and sides with some aluminum foil?  I've seen people make some pretty intricate contraptions to add a suit of armor around each one....do you think that's necessary?
Jim

My Motto is when in doubt eat it.  Might just save it from being lost to a fig predator.

goss

a) They look ready to me.  Based on drooping, and texture of the skin (getting some wrinkles).  But interesting that they don't have the characteristic cracking.ren't the characteristic cracking skin. 
b) But the color looks strange for HC.  Possibly that's because of camera sensitivity, or lighting, or this crazy variability in color reproduction that happens with computers and digital photos.  
c) Or it could be that for reasons of culture (soil etc) and climate, your HC's just look different from the HC's I've seen.
d) Bottom line:  eat at least one of them now.  Pick the ripest looking one.  Use that experience to tell you if the rest are ready.  (They look it to me).  But if the first one isn't as ripe as you want, then wait on the others.  (But you can cover them with foil or newspaper or pick your favorite method of hiding from birds/critters). 

Enjoy!  Also congrats on getting some nice figs, from another guy who likes HC.

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

p.s.  I just had my first HC main crop fig of the year a few days ago  (last Friday).  I've just been unable to load the photos so I haven't posted yet.

I picked the ripest one today and shared it with my daughter.
It had a good taste...sweet, but not super sweet.
My daughter tasted honey and watermelon.
I though I tasted a mild figgy flavor at the bottom and more like a hint of strawberry at the top.
Here are a couple of pics:
    
The pulp had a brownish look to it with a hint of red.
Jim