Fig Varieties Most Loved By Your Children

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BrightGreenNurse

Registered:1416895665
Posts: 150

Posted 1416897060	Reply with quote #1

Hello all! My name is Jenny and I'm new here (also very new at growing figs). I have a one year old son and want to grow varieties that he and my future children will love. I would love to hear about other member's experiences growing figs with/for their kids and what special fig tree(s) the kids look forward to every year. Thank you! __________________ Wish list- St. Rita, LSU Hollier, Brooklyn White, LSU Improved Celeste, Smith, St. Anthony

GeneDaniels

Registered:1384021772
Posts: 1,014

Posted 1416899329	Reply with quote #2

My girls loved the Sari Zybek we used to eat in Central Asia. It is very sweet yellow fig with a think skin, there are several similar varieties here in the US. __________________ Zone 7b (Central Arkansas) Seven trees in the ground: Hardy Chicago, Celeste(?), LSU gold, Italian Black, Southern Brown Turkey(?), Strawberry Verte, and Unk yellow. Trees in pots: VdB, CdD, and Sicilian?

rcantor

Registered:1309799312
Posts: 5,724

Posted 1416899699	Reply with quote #3

Welcome! I think most kids will love any ripe fig. __________________ Zone 6, MO Wish list: Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.

Woknblues

Registered:1414833570
Posts: 25

Posted 1416900619	Reply with quote #4

Welcome Jenny. I too am an RN and am essentially growing all my fruits and veggies for my kid too. I built a shade/greenhouse with a sandbox in it! __________________ Zone 7b Albuquerque

cis4elk

Registered:1347840383
Posts: 1,718

Posted 1416903759	Reply with quote #5

Welcome Jenny. Quote: I think most kids will love any ripe fig. I second. __________________ Calvin Littleton,CO z5/6 Wants List: For everyone to clean-up after themselves and co-exist peacefully. Let's think more about the future of our planet and less about ourselves. :)

andreas

Registered:1401724296
Posts: 372

Posted 1416908596 · Edited	Reply with quote #6

Welcome Jenny. you might want to start from something like this LOL!!! sorry i could not stop my self... i think you should start with any fig that is very ripe. the most important thing to do is to take off the skin and if it has a thick white part remove most of that as well. they will start eating it with the skin when they get older __________________ andreas-patras Patra Peloponnisos Greece zone..9a

zone5figger

Registered:1395082963
Posts: 250

Posted 1416908820	Reply with quote #7

No fruit from my fig plants yet here, but my five year old was helping me look after cuttings rooting in perlite yesterday, he found one buried that had some nice roots on it. I saw that it was labeled with 'HC' by the donor, and asked my son if he knew what kind of fig it was(always testing the little guy)- right off he said, "Hardy Chicago"-we got a fig prodigy coming up here, folks! __________________ Jesse- zone 5, 1000' elevation

jkuo

Registered:1399944767
Posts: 156

Posted 1416909091	Reply with quote #8

I'm still trying to get my 3 y.o. to eat a fig. He'll put it in his mouth, but doesn't actually bite all the way into it. I'm sure he'll love them once I can convince him that it's OK to eat a fruit with skin still on it. __________________ Johnny - Lancaster, PA, Zone 6b Plants I'm growing: Google Doc

FiggyFrank

Registered:1347560723
Posts: 2,712

Posted 1416923187	Reply with quote #9

Quote: Originally Posted by zone5figger No fruit from my fig plants yet here, but my five year old was helping me look after cuttings rooting in perlite yesterday, he found one buried that had some nice roots on it. I saw that it was labeled with 'HC' by the donor, and asked my son if he knew what kind of fig it was(always testing the little guy)- right off he said, "Hardy Chicago"-we got a fig prodigy coming up here, folks! Ha! That's great. :) My 3 & 5 year old will eat any fig. They can tell if it isn't ripe enough.... which means, not sweet enough. I'll be putting a few more trees in ground next year. I told them I am giving them a tree of their own so they can care for it and watch it grow and hopefully put out figs next year. They're very excited, as am I. __________________ Frank zone 7a - VA

snaglpus

Registered:1244258188
Posts: 4,072

Posted 1416923458	Reply with quote #10

Hi Jenny and welcome to the forum! Can you update your profile or tell us where you live? This forum has folks from all over the world. And it would best if we knew your location. Without knowing your location, I'd recommend a common fig like Hardy Chicago or Marseilles Black. Both are super hardy and produce excellent sweet tasting figs that are hard to beat. You can even grow them in half whiskey barrels. I have many in these barrels growing fine. Here's a tip I use with my little ones, tell them you have a club called, The Try It You Like It club, and everybody has to try one food at least once in order to be in the club. My little ones help me pick my figs and we eat them right off the tree. And, they love fresh figs! __________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a

Ampersand

Registered:1389979527
Posts: 728

Posted 1416923963	Reply with quote #11

My 1 year old had an LdA, she loved it. I wanted some for myself...didn't happen.

m5allen

Registered:1378496146
Posts: 153

Posted 1416925892	Reply with quote #12

Celeste - small and sweet, perfect for kids. __________________ -Mike Tampa, FL Zone 9b. Growing: Black Madeira, CDDG, Malta Black, VDB, Petite Negra, LSU Purple, Celeste, Battaglia, Alma and Grasa's Unknown Seattle Purple

needaclone

Registered:1346812939
Posts: 604

Posted 1416929645	Reply with quote #13

I have 3 kids. Two of them don't like them at all, but one is a true fig lover at heart. My wife is also not a fig lover...she only just tasted on last week that she admitted was pretty good (...one that my daughter and I thought was amazing!!) So, you never can tell. Jim __________________ Clarksburg, NJ - Zone 6b Wishlist - A wise man recommended: Nero600M . Malta Black . Tacoma (Takoma) Violet . Gino's . Adriatic JH . Vista Mission . Florea . Atreano . ...also...RdB, Bethlehem Black, Negronne, Grise de St. Jean, Livano, Col de Dame Blanc/Gris/Noir, Vasilika Sika, Longue D'Aout, Italian 258, Pennsylvania 6-5000

Rob

Registered:1320245426
Posts: 550

Posted 1416934395	Reply with quote #14

My 8 year old daughter will eat any ripe fruit, and anything weird it seems. I think the sweeter it is, the more she likes it. Almost never turns one down, unless it's soured. My 6 year old son will not eat a rip fresh fig, but will eat dried ones. Just depends on their individual tastes. I think that any kid that likes one fig will like them all, and if they don't like one, they won't like any. To encourage them to like them, I would make sure that the first one you give the kid is very very sweet. Cut it in half and make sure it's a good one before you offer it to him/her. Otherwise you risk spoiling their first impression with a mediocre fig. __________________ Rob Maryland Zone 7 http://rbfigs.webs.com/

Ogorodnitsa

Registered:1397693340
Posts: 38

Posted 1416935482	Reply with quote #15

Quote: Originally Posted by GeneDaniels My girls loved the Sari Zybek we used to eat in Central Asia. It is very sweet yellow fig with a think skin, there are several similar varieties here in the US. Gene, where in Central Asia does Sari Zybek come from? __________________ Pennsylvania, Zone 6B

ADelmanto

Registered:1359774201
Posts: 911

Posted 1416935899	Reply with quote #16

My two year old and 4 year old both don't like figs ... Yet. Go figure. They have to compete with the Everbearing strawberries which they like better. I'm sure they will come around. I like the idea of peeling them. I'll have to try that. __________________ https://www.facebook.com/From-The-Ground-Up-403313193085649/

andreas

Registered:1401724296
Posts: 372

Posted 1416936513	Reply with quote #17

@ ADelmato 90% of the people in greece do not eat the skin... not just the kids __________________ andreas-patras Patra Peloponnisos Greece zone..9a

MichaelTucson

Registered:1333340598
Posts: 1,216

Posted 1416937390 · Edited	Reply with quote #18

I have two boys. One of them likes figs that have a little more subtlety and aren't too "in your face" with sweetness. He likes Conadria and Frank's Fig Unknown (probably a close relative of English Brown Turkey). The other one loves any fig that is ripe. :-) Mike central NY state, zone 5a P.S. Welcome to the forum. __________________ Pauca sed matura.

NativeSun

Registered:1399338155
Posts: 178

Posted 1416937692	Reply with quote #19

My daughter absolutely HATES figs! And for that, I am profoundly grateful, as I have 27 other varieties of fruit trees in my yard and she CLEANS THEM OUT like some form of biblical plague. At least I get to enjoy the fruits of my (fig) labor, pun intended. I bought my wife and child a copy of the story: "The Little Red Hen". They missed the point. I put up a garden sign quoting Captain John Smith of Jamestown fame: "He Who Shall Not Work, Shall Not Eat". That sign is routinely ignored. Its a good thing I love them both so very much.... __________________ James, North Florida zone 9A

ChrisK

Registered:1415844271
Posts: 937

Posted 1416973719	Reply with quote #20

Welcome Jenny! My boys are older now and at the ages of 27 and 22 could not care less about figs(sad to say). My baby girl is 14 and still loves to do things with her dad, including gardening and figging of course. Her favorite is Celest ,small and honey sweet ,she devoures them right off the tree. Best of luck with everything! __________________ ChrisK Atl GA Zone 7b-8a

pino

Registered:1383190021
Posts: 2,117

Posted 1416975005	Reply with quote #21

I find children new to figs will be shy to try them if you give them a whole fig since they don't look like anything else they eat. But if I given them 1/2 of a ripe fig that I am eating then they would eat it and love it and keep eating 1/2 of mine as long as I keep eating them. It is rather enjoyable showing them this way. __________________ Pino, zone 6, Niagara, JCJ Acres Wish; Peace on earth and more figs Italian 258, Galicia Negra, Luv, trade suggestions welcome.

joann1536

Registered:1409975734
Posts: 274

Posted 1416975048	Reply with quote #22

My kids and grandkids love any kind of figs, ripe and picked from the tree. __________________ USDA Zone 9b Wish list: Abruzzi, Pasquale, Tagliacozzo, Zingarella, Godfather. Any unk Italian, especially from Abruzzo.

Aaron4USA

Registered:1375832059
Posts: 2,969

Posted 1416975251	Reply with quote #23

Jenny, Welcome to THE forum where it all happens :) Kids love honey figs, I say this from my experience with my 2 kids. As they grow up, my girl at 5 and boy 3, my boy started to develop taste for acidic foods, he eats Sorel on daily bases from the garden and dark figs with acidic, berry-ish, tastes(when available) but my girl remains faithful to Honey Figs. I wonder if it's a gender thang? ;P

BrightGreenNurse

Registered:1416895665
Posts: 150

Posted 1416986143	Reply with quote #24

Quote: Originally Posted by snaglpus Hi Jenny and welcome to the forum! Can you update your profile or tell us where you live? This forum has folks from all over the world. And it would best if we knew your location. I am from Fayetteville, AR, which is in zone 6B. Our summers are highly variable, sometimes very humid or very dry. Unpredictability seems to be the norm. I chose figs as my first fruit trees to grow for two reasons. Firstly, we have moved a lot and I didn't want to leave my beloved trees, so I needed a fruit tree that could grow well in pots. Secondly, I tried my first fresh figs a few years ago and realized they would definitely be worth growing myself. I knew I hadn't encountered that elusive, perfectly ripe fig so many people talk about. Even at mediocre though, they were so good! I love all of the comments and stories of how you guys are involving your kids! I'll definitely be using some of your ideas! Thank you everyone for sharing and feel free to keep the stories coming! I hope my kids will happily pick the trees clean one day, as well :). I currently have a Sumacki and Violette de Bordeaux. I have room for just one (maybe two) more trees this year, so I'll have to try to choose my next varieties wisely. Thank you all for the very warm welcome and I look forward to reading the rest of your comments! __________________ Wish list- St. Rita, LSU Hollier, Brooklyn White, LSU Improved Celeste, Smith, St. Anthony

potatochips101

Registered:1352935436
Posts: 113

Posted 1417047350 · Edited	Reply with quote #25

Welcome Jenny! My 4 kids ages 10 thru 2 all like figs. Our favorites this year were: Hardy Chicago-Purple fruity sweet with nice touch of acidity. Edible skin, dark red pulp. My first love in figs. _ Monstrouse- Green thick inedible skin fruity- bright stark red pulp. Beautiful contrasting colors when you open the fruit. Had acidity and texture reminiscent of a plum when not fully ripe, when more fully ripe was sweet, still had some acidity and if you closed your eyes its flavor tasted like a sweeter plum. Not figgy. We really liked it and it gave us a very nice harvest for it being in my garden only just this year. Banana- fruity has unique flavor like a piece of candy. Alma- fruity and sweet very nice flavor. Amber ligt pink pulp. Edible skin LSU Purple- sweet figgy flavor pleasant not terribly unique in flavor but no less appreciated when consumed. Frequent bearer. Celese- Mild light flavor sweet figgy. Pretty purply pinky brown sweet edible skin. My kids enter my garden expecting sweet treasures. This year the fig trees I purchased did not disappoint us. Truly we were blessed to have tasted so many new to us varieties since we lost so many other trees in last year's rough winter. I prayed and asked God to let us have figs to eat from the garden this year and He did not dissapoint us. I love Him because He and His figs are so good. __________________ Maryland Zone 7a Seeking: Panache Tiger Stripe, Ronde De Bordeaux,Black Bethlehem, Sicilian Red, Malta Black, Gino's Black, Col de Dame gris, Figo Preto, Orphan, Black Mission, Macool,Pastilliere, Malta Black, Battalagia Green, Maltese Falcon, Galicia Please PM me if you have any of the above rooted cuttings or trees for sale or trade. I am new to collecting so I don't have much to trade as yet. Currently growing in containers: Brown Turkey, Atreano,Alma Violetta, English Brown Turkey, Celeste, JH Adriatic, LSU Purple, LSU Tiger, Banana, Early Violette, Stanford, Green Ischia, Violette Du Bordeaux, Mary Lane, Petite Negra, Hollier, Alma, Chicago Hardy, Sals Corleone, Black Madiera, Smith, Desert King, Negronne, St. Rita, Atreano Gold,

katerina941

Registered:1365313752
Posts: 45

Posted 1417247239 · Edited	Reply with quote #26

Hi, Jenny and welcome to the forum :) It is fun growing fig trees with kids and then try the fruits together :) My youngest one usually tries to beat me to the ripe ones :) Two of my daughters love sweet yellow honey figs with tender skin. I would highly recomend Conadria and Italian Honey . Gene, I am curious too where in Middle Asia you are from and what is the closest fig variety in USA that resembles Sari Zybek ? I grew up in Middle Asia , Kyrgistan, among beautiful fruit orchards, green forests, mountains and gorgeous Issik-Kul lake :) So many wonderful memories from childhood are connected with gardens and nature and eating fresh fruits right off the trees. All my married life now here in USA I am trying to create the same thing I had, or at least a little portion of it, for my own kids so that they can have those wonderful memories and can experience what it means to climb a tree and enjoy fresh fruits :) We grow so many different edilbles in our garden here in hot AZ desert... it is so much different from Middle Asia :) Two of my daughters love sweet yellow honey figs with tender skin. I see Sari Zybek fig trees on sale sometimes on Ebay, but since I have not heard much about it, I never got brave enough to try growing it here. Would be great to know what fig it resembles and if it likes hot dry climate like ours :)

Bass

Registered:1188959030
Posts: 2,428

Posted 1417276549	Reply with quote #27

My kids were eating figs and all sorts of fresh fruit when they were less than a year old. They prefer fruit over any candy or chocolate. As far as what varieties, it really doesn't matter much, but they're now 6 years old, and they know exactly which one have the best flavor. They wait to let it fully ripen and they pick them off. As far as what varieties, they love Celeste, Hardy chicago, Dark portuguese, Brooklyn white. __________________ Pennsylvania http://www.treesofjoy.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trees-of-Joy/110193909021138

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