Hi folks hope all are well :)

My figs have become very soft to touch and when I picked one it did not have sap on the branch where it came away from, but there was a blob of white sap on the top of the fig. Does this mean it is not quite ripe?

Amber, 
 
Do you mean white latex sap, or amber honey sap? Some figs will drip honey from the eye and some won't. Fig ripeness is kind of trial and error. Every fig is going to be a little different. I would think that softness would be a good indication of ripeness, though. Depends on how soft I guess. If it still feels rubbery at all, it may not be ripe. A lot of figs will feel woody, then rubbery, then very soft, kind of like a banana. If you have some doubt, you could just leave it and watch it for a bit. If it starts to droop a little, most folks would say that it is definitely ripe. Is it a fig that sours easily? You can always post a pic with the fig type and many forum members who have been growing and enjoying figs for years will be more than happy to help you. Whatever you decide, I recommend taking a knife and spitting the fig lengthwise and examining it before you eat it, not for safety, but so you can enjoy the fig more and take in all of the color, scent, and flavor of your fig. It will also help you judge the ripeness of the fig in the future. I know this probably wasn't very helpful.

Sounds like it was still unripe, do you have a photo? How did it taste?

depends on how you like your fig. i like it right when there is no sap what-so-ever but not really dead ripe. i like little it little firm. my wife likes it really firm, meaning little latex is fine with you. you will notice lot of pictures on the forum will show dead ripe figs with outside really winkled and inside almost like jam. it just depends on how you like your fig. unless of course your allergic to latex :)

White latex/sap is indication of unripe. Try poking skin of green fig with point end of nice a little and wait a second you will see it come out as an example.

Clear sap at end of fig at the ostiole (eye) is normal but not all figs display this, most figs get what is called a hangmans neck when ripe as the fig will bend downwards.

Yes, unripe.

If Jon says unripe, the fig is unripe. 

Many thanks guys! I didn't taste the fig I picked. I am new to fig trees (I inherited this one in my new house), so I didn't want to spoil my first ever fig by not doing it justice. I will keep waiting and hopefully some are ready soon!

Amber - Good thinking!!  To me, the worst thing is to try a food for the first time that is not at it's peak !!  When I was a teen, my grandparents brought mangoes from Florida.  They went on and on about how delicious they are!  My whole family tried the UNDER RIPE, hard, green mangoes YUCK!!!  They were awful.  Several years later I was dating this guy and we were walking the streets in New Yorks Chinatown.  He purchased a mango from a fruit stand and asked if I wanted some - "NO WAY!!  I hate mangoes"  My famous last words LOL  After 5 minutes of watching and listening to him slurp and enjoy this thing I had to say "let me try!!"  It was heaven in my mouth!  That was many years ago and to this day mangoes are one of my favorite fruits.

The figs should be nice and soft-yielding when lightly squeezed, no sap should run when picked (the white latex), and if the stem is long enough - 2cm or more it should hang like a hang-mans noose.

Below you could see the difference in the figs in how they hang.  This fig has a short stem so it doesn't hang like others, it will give you an idea for reference.  Same with the next 2 but also notice the slight wrinkling on the last fig.  It was only 2 days after the previous picture.