If you don't mind a little radiation, Americans will soon be able to purchase fresh figs from Mexico:

http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-news/Mexican-figs-clear-hurdle-to-US-access-263308631.html

Not sure if this will affect California fig growers since most of our commercial crop is dried anyway.

RADIATION: Not sure, that its a good thing. Not fair to the farmer who is trying to get a good product out. Not good for US consumers eating radiated figs.

I was being sarcastic about the radiation. I don't have any facts regarding safety of the irradiation process, but I'd rather not risk it.

Here in Fallbrook, most of the avocado groves are being cut down. Why? It costs more to buy the water to grow avocados than to just buy the avocados from Mexico. Maybe avocados are the wrong crop to grow in a state with water problems. However, figs are ideal for our climate. I guess the USDA is only concerned about disease vectors and not so much economic impact.

oh great ! now I have to deal with glowing poop?

[QUOTE=Aaron4USA]oh great ! now I have to deal with glowing poop?[/QUOTE]

You mean poop isn't supposed to glow? 

no, what am I missing in my diet gold and diamonds? ;/

i gotta say that i'd love to get fresh figs from mexico.
never in my entire life have i seen fresh figs for sale.

that's why i'm growing them.

Aaron,
  Gold and Diamonds will give you sparkling poop.  For glowing poop you need Phosphorus ;-)
(My young son would be so proud that I'm talking about poop instead of figs...)
Jim

If there is a demand for fresh figs in the US, why don't the California fig farmers ship them around the country? Are we growing the wrong type for fresh eating? If I thought I could sell them easily, I'd plant a couple acres of figs. 

The produce guy at my local market told me he has tried to carry fresh figs in the past and they haven't been winners. If there really is no significant market for fresh figs in the U.S., then import of figs from Mexico or anywhere else is irrelevant.

[QUOTE=cyberfarmer]If there is a demand for fresh figs in the US, why don't the California fig farmers ship them around the country? Are we growing the wrong type for fresh eating? If I thought I could sell them easily, I'd plant a couple acres of figs. 

The produce guy at my local market told me he has tried to carry fresh figs in the past and they haven't been winners. If there really is no significant market for fresh figs in the U.S., then import of figs from Mexico or anywhere else is irrelevant.

[/QUOTE]

The problem is they are best when picked very ripe, but don't ship well, i.e. they spoil quickly.  And Americans don't know much about them, in general, because of this. So when we see them in the grocery store for $1.50 each in Delaware, then we buy one and it is subpar because it was picked early, we never buy another...  I believe if they could be picked dead ripe and transported without spoilage, a market would develop.

From what I understand fresh figs don't ship that well.  Short shelf life.  It hard to lose money while trying to develop the market.  Many Americans would not know what to do with a fresh fig.  Paw paw have the same issue.  Once in a blue moon a high end shop will carry them at crazy prices which reflects the care needed to get them to market.  I'm looking forward to my first fresh Paws Paws from a friends grove.

I think the motive for importing from Mexico is so that they can try to market cheap crappy figs instead of expensive crappy figs.

At the farmers market at Ferry Plaza in San Francisco a couple of growers have done very well selling there.  I reported here about my visit with the farm manager last summer.  They do ship fresh ripe figs around the country with some orders going to Las Vegas every week.  I think the cost was something like $100 per 7 pound flat (shipped).  It takes a whole different level of commitment to picking/shipping very ripe fruit and not many are willing to do it.

irradiated fruit aren't radioactive, just in case anyone took it too serious...

California avocados would have had a hard time competing with Hawai'i or Mexico if they did not have protection, anyways.  Drought just may be putting paid to any sort of hope.

There are better fruits that Mexico can grow and irradiate for sale in the US.  Mangosteens, for example--those keep alright, from what I know.

I tasted some awesome ripe-overripe Black Missions from Korean Market on Wilshire & Mariposa Ave... last year for $3 per 5x5 basket...really amazing taste. They get those really nicely ripped ones.

[QUOTE=cyberfarmer]I was being sarcastic about the radiation. I don't have any facts regarding safety of the irradiation process, but I'd rather not risk it.

Here in Fallbrook, most of the avocado groves are being cut down. Why? It costs more to buy the water to grow avocados than to just buy the avocados from Mexico. Maybe avocados are the wrong crop to grow in a state with water problems. However, figs are ideal for our climate. I guess the USDA is only concerned about disease vectors and not so much economic impact.[/QUOTE]

Same thing with almonds. There has been a huge boom in almonds because the price has steadily risen. Only trouble is, you need to water almonds. I've been reading how some farmers are finding it more economical to start ripping out some of the trees they've spent so much time growing.

I just had a long talk with the produce manager at my local market. I asked him if he ever tried selling fresh figs. He pointed and said, "Right over there". He had Brown Turkey and Black Mission available for $6 a pound. He said they were grown in northern California. I asked him if he thought they would sell. He said, "I know they will. They sell out every time I can get my hands on them". So, he let me sample some. They were both good, but not great. He went to the cold storage room and found me a really ripe black mission. Now, that one was very, very good. Problem is that most of them were not as ripe as that one.

I told him about figs from Mexico. He said that as far as he knows, all fruit imported from other countries is irradiated. He also said that any fruit may be irradiated, even organic fruit, and he would not know it. There is no labeling requirement, so he has no way of knowing unless he is buying direct from the grower.

I asked him, if I someday have so many figs that I don't know what to do with them, would he buy some from me. He said not only would he sell them, but he would make them their own display case. So, at least in my town, fresh, local figs are in demand.

USDA Organic produce may not be irradiated.  http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateN&navID=NOSBlinkNOSBCommittees&rightNav1=NOSBlinkNOSBCommittees&topNav=&leftNav=&page=NOPOrganicStandards&resultType=&acct=nopgeninfo

It's been a while since I've read much about it, but irradiation does change the molecular structure of the produce, something similar to cooking does, if I recall correctly.  I don't believe it's unhealthy, just different.

wow! my local market finally got some sorta fresh figs in. look kinda like black mission, with some wear n tear.

they are selling at seventy-five cents apiece,so  once my trees start producing full crops, they'll pay for themselves in no time.
now i feel less guilty about all the money i spend growing figs.

The fresh figs I bought this morning are the first I've tasted in many years. The two on top of the basket were almost ripe enough. The bottom layer not so much. Either way, I remember the taste of my mom's fig tree very clearly and it is better than any of these. Glad I can get these at the store. Better than nothing. Looking forward to enjoying my own.

last year, i got one, one, count them one, fig from my genova paradissio. i let it shrivel   a bit on the tree.

that was the best tasting fruit i've ever had.

the supermarket figs are kk, but not even close to what you can produce yourself.

Irradiation will break large molecular, such as protein and DNA. It has been used for preseving food (longer shelf life).