My local grocery store (Publix) now has black mission figs.  They were pricey, but I couldn't resist.  These were the best figs I have ever had.  These were very ripe and it is hard to tell from the pics, but some of them had "honey" in the cavity like I see in Black Madiera pics.  

I am new to figs and my plants are young, so I have yet to taste a good home grown, ripe fig.  If a home grown fig tastes better than a store bought fig, I am really looking forward to that.  And if these black missions were that good, I can't imagine how tasty one of the premium varieties is.

I have a black mission that has about 10 figlets on it, if they grow up to be anything like this, I will be very happy.  

 
    

Wow, they do look good!  What store did you purchase them from?

Black Mission is an excellent fig! That is a good find at a grocery store. Glad to hear they were ripe!

Hi M5allen,
Was it written somewhere where they came from ?
The problem with ripe figs is that they don't last long and get spoiled and mold easily.
So that must be a local production...
From the pics, they look good !

All the store-bought fresh figs I've seen so far in NJ come from California.  I saw some a few years ago in a produce store attached to a nursery and the checkout clerk claimed they were local grown.  I'm not 100% sure I believed it, since the "eat local" craze was beginning to become widespread.  If I recall, there were only 2 or 3 "pints" and they were unlabeled, so it could have been just a small batch from a low-production local source.

M5allen -- the store bought figs can be quite good, but they can also be quite lousy or just mediocre.  I'm glad you got a good batch, and since it is early in the season, there should be more where that came from. ;-)  However, nothing quite beats the taste of a fig that you grew on your own tree that you let ripen to your preference.  I also had the privilege last year of eating both store bought and home grown Black Mission.  The home grown were all as good or better than the best of the store bought.  A lot of flavor develops in those last few days of ripening.

Cheers,
Jim

I bought two more baskets of fresh figs this morning, one each of Brown Turkey and Black Mission. $5.99 per basket, each weighing in around 20 oz.

So, I did a blind taste test and I chose the Brown Turkey over the Black Mission. Even though the Missions look and feel ripe on the outside, the insides don't have as much color or honey compared to the Turkeys. If my own figs are at least as good as these, I'll be happy.

@ m5allen
hi i just noticed that you are from st.pete
the best thing for you to do is to invest in a 45-50 minute trip to tarpon springs.
try to find local greeks and ask for greek fig tree cuttings. they may not know the type so they will call them mavra (for black) and aspra (for white)
if you get lucky enough you will never eat a mission again in your life!!!
best of luck. andreas

Thanks Andreas.  I was over in the Tarpon Springs area last year (around the Sponge Docks).  There were a few houses with figs, but I had the family with me and I didn't feel right knocking on random doors.  But that isn't a bad idea.  

The figs I bought from the store were from Madera, CA.  

Store bought figs can be hit or miss. Not to mention pretty expensive. Many times they get them unripe so they last longer but they are bland. All food i grow myself tastes better than store bought :)

Looks like the first of the nationally distributed figs have the stores nationwide. In Athens Georgia, the Fresh Market is selling these Black Mission and Brown Turkey figs from the professional orchards in California. Here, they are selling three cartons for ten bucks..not a bad price. Quality: mediocre. But quality might vary from box to box. Better than not having any figs to eat. BMs somewhat better than the BTs. Joe

Those figs look good.  They look like they were properly ripened on the tree before being harvested, which is rare for store bought figs.  Good find.

My wife purchased mission figs from HEB in Austin.  There were 9 for 6.00.  They were all ripe and delicious.  It was hard not just eating them out of the container (she had plans for them in salads, pizza, desert).  Some people spend 6 bucks on coffee drinks.  I think it was worth it, and would buy again until I have my own.

Don,
  Eating them from the container is just fine ;-)  When I stop and look for them on my way home form work, I'll usually have one or two in the market parking lot, then another two or three on my way home.  At that point I have to make the decision of whether to save the rest for my family or eat them all and hide the evidence!
Jim

Figs are a good thing for me – they are so sweet and satisfying that they quell my sweet tooth.  After a nice dinner, if I eat a few figs, my dessert cravings go away.  And figs are a lot healthier than ice cream, cookies, etc…  at least that is how I justify it. 

After checking a few local stores, the only nearby fresh figs I could find was at a small Italian specialty grocery (Delallo's in Jeanette, if anyone wants to find them) that had California black mission figs (brand - Tiger) for a price of $3 for 2 figs, or the flat of 15 figs for $18. Although the figs were pretty good sized they seemed pretty firm and I passed on buying probable unripe figs at a high price.

Well, I bought a second carton of BT figs - containing 6 figs- from the Fresh Market (I have noticed that the current supply of market figs are all from the same California distributor.)

These 6 BT's were terrible. They were dessicated and under ripe. I threw the last 2 into my insinkerator, happily. The final test was that I gave a piece of fig to my dog Woofy, who eats anything. The Woofster sniffed it and walked away.