Has anyone seen anybody that ships good ripe figs?  I saw "Fresh Figs" on Facebook, an outfit in Fresno that ships different fruits it appears, but the photos I've seen looked like fruits that were not very ripe.  I do a lot of shipping of chestnuts and started shipping a moderate amount of pomegranates this year and one of my customers in New York says he would love buying figs from me, but I don't know if it's practical.  When using Priority Mail, my packages take 2 days to get to him.  He's my biggest pomegranate customer, having bout 140 pounds.

If you've seen someone successfully ship ripe figs, what kind of packaging did they use?

I remember seeing this some time ago, it looks like something you would send by truck though.


Mind if I ask what varieties you are thinking of growing to ship?

I shipped fresh figs but the problem is you need the right packages and fast delivery. As well As the right variety. Varieties with very soft skin don't transport well.

From Brazil http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=3300

Another California company you might have missed http://www.maywoodfarms.com/ They outline just how they do it on their site.

Thanks, I'll check those out.  One variety I've considered is Panache but I probably need to be some place even warmer than where I'm at so that I could have a longer season.  They had a pretty good skin on them.  They were my favorite fig this past year.  I would probably consider several others but need to do more research as well as decide where I could plant them on my farm.

Guess it didn't work out too well for Maywood: http://www.maywoodfarms.com/retail.htm

They just don't sell retail packs anymore, probably took up too much time selling one pint at a time.

Adriatic JH might be good for you. It is precocious and ripens before Panache/Reverse and the Col de Dames but the fruits have similar qualities.

You might try Flanders

Thanks.  I'm already growing Flanders and it hasn't been very tasty for me.

A friend sent me this link: http://www.figlady.com/Mail-Order.html

I think you'd have to overnight them with cold packs.  I got figs priority but it was hot out and by the time they got to me (2 days) they were moldy.

Thanks, Bob. I've got to drive at least 25 miles to ship overnight via USPS or pay for daily pickups with FedEx which would make that more costly.  How were your figs packaged.  I wonder if packing so that they had some breathing would help prevent that.  I've shipped thousands of boxes of chestnuts but most (but not all) have been during cooler weather.  I previously shipped in poly bags but switched to mesh bags and vented the boxes by drilling a two or four 3/4" holes in them to prevent formation of surface mold.  Chestnuts are about 52% water so mold can be a similar problem with them.

You can experiment by shipping figs to me all you want.  :)   Mine were wrapped in paper in a medium priority box.  I think you need each fig individually supported but surrounded by breathable material.  With the cold pak.  If the cold pak lasts 2 days you might be able to get away with priority.

  For what it's worth, I've been buying fresh figs on and off since August at a local "Farm Market"/"Asian Market".  The last bunch I bought was about 2 weeks ago.  They've all been shipped in from CA.  (I'm in NJ.)  Some have been packed all together in small plastic containers or plastic "mesh" containers wrapped in saran wrap.  Others have been shipped in flats like the one pictured in @hoosierbanana's post above.  I've probably see 4 different varieties over that time.  Some were marked Black Misssion and Calmyrna, but on others the variety wasn't marked at all.
  On rare occasions a "normal" supermarket will have them, typically the smaller containers.
  I would imagine these were shipped by refrigerated truck, so I don't know if this info will help you.
Jim

I seen a show. cant remember the name of it. but any how the lady used egg cartons to ship figs all over the country.

Harvey, it kind of depends on what "ripe" means. If you mean, are they not oozing sap when picked, yes they could be shipped overnight or 2 days. If you mean picking them 2-4 days later, when they are truly ripe, you might get away with overnight and some very, very careful wrapping and packaging. Once they are truly ripe they are very soft and very perishable. if they are less than truly ripe, IMO, they are not worth the expense of priority/overnight shipment.

Jon, my Panache were very ripe and seemed pretty durable still, even to the point that the skin was a bit tough.  Probably could ship 6-8 pounds for $10.85 shipping or 12-14 pounds for $14.65 shipping Priority so I think it's feasible if the fruit can handle it but I'm not sure what type of packaging I would try nor a source for it that would be reasonably priced.

Some of my Panache actually got to the point of starting to dry out when I left them hang too long in an effort to make sure they were really ripe.  I think maybe they could have dried on the tree if I had just left them.  That reminds me of another fig I am trying to grow. It's supposedly the same dark fig as what my father said his father had grown and that the figs would never sour but could be left on the tree to try.  How common is that among figs being grown in dry climates?