Never seen a Celeste that purple, looks awesome.  Looks more like Black Madeira or Black Mission!  Be sure to take pics of the inside and share when you pick and eat!

I'm chomping at the bit to pick this thing!  As for the variety - the label says Celeste and I purchased from a local chain of nurseries.  But........ from what I've been learning about figs over the last few months, labels don't seem to mean much! 

Is there a way to know for sure what type of fig it is?  The label also said ripens June.  Moms tree in NY ripens in late Aug - mostly Sept.

Pictures!!  You know it!  I'm going to do the picture with the quarter also:)

Post pics of the inside and that will help.

I would just add that Celeste often has a powdery finish to the skin and a defined teardrop shape.  Look at half of the pics at http://figs4fun.com/Thumbnail_Celeste.html and pay attention to "3-01 JN" and "4-23 GM" and "3-29 IS" which are the typical Celeste fig shape/size/interior/exterior, while noting that  a couple of the figs in that page look like Black Mission or Vista to me...

Chain of nurseries: strike one.

Not the typical size and shape: strike two.

Not the typical coloring: strike three.

As long as it tastes good I don't care what I ended up with!  But, knowing what I have would be beneficial.

Powdery finish?  When does it develop? I think Moms figs might have that, this feels very smooth and almost leather like.

On the Celeste varieties - do the numbers have a meaning to the fig world or are they identification for the grower?

No time limit, there on there own time JoAnn as hot weather makes them ripen faster colder slows them down late in season in my experience here near Chicago ,  here is example of hangmans neck on  5 different figs for example in my yard.

Hold mouse over picture to see there names then you click picture to enlarge it.
When they hang down like this called (hangmans neck ) there at there very best in my opinion.
Sometimes they get cracks sometimes no, this is just some examples to give you idea when you may want to pick figs.

As crazy as this sounds, I was out looking at the tree and fig a while ago (also watered the grass and garden by hand).  Anyway, using a flashlight, the skin looked a bit powdery!  The fig is also looking a bit shriveled instead of plump and giving when I gently squeezed it.

This is the ONLY fig that is even on the scale of ripeness.  The others are still very green and a lot smaller.

Jo-ann, the numbers are just used for indexing or ID, nothing more.  

martin,

i see one of the ripe fig picture you have is of pastilere.. i thought most pastilere will drop the figs, or so i have read.

how was that fig? was it worth keeping?

pete

I just took a few pictures  

The stem doesn't look long enough for a "hangman's neck"

More branches growing from the bottom!

A single leaf - hope it could help with proper ID

So, does anyone think it's ready???

Its ready I would say!

that's looks more than ready. tell us how it tastes.

pete

OK!! The picking shall commence lol.

Never heard of not growing tomatoes with figs before someone mentioned it a couple of weeks ago - too late!  The family tree was in the garden near tomatoes also.

Here I go.....

Here is what Herman2 posted on the GW FF you can carry what he sez to the bank when it comes to Fig tree "know how"

Enjoy that fig. It looks delicious!

I am curious. Do tomatoes attract the nematode, or is this a danger due to the nematodes hitching a ride on store-bought plants? I grow my own from seed and have limited space. My wife is big on making and canning sauce so if I have to shoose one or the other I'm in a heap of trouble!