When is a fig ripe?

Figs are picked ripe or not at all. Unlike bananas or pears, a fig picked hard stays hard; it may soften a little and lose water, but it will not sweeten.¹ Everything below is about reading the tree.

The signs, in the order we trust them

1. The droop. A fig that is ready stops standing out from the branch and hangs down from its neck. This is the single most reliable sign across varieties.
2. Softness. Cup the fruit and squeeze very gently. Ripe figs give like a ripe peach. A fig that is still firm will be dry and bland.
3. The neck. The short stem softens and often wrinkles slightly just before the fruit is ready.
4. A drop at the eye. Many varieties show a bead of clear syrup at the eye, sometimes with a slight opening. Watch for it, but do not wait for it on varieties with a tight eye.
5. Colour. Dark figs deepen from green through brown to purple; green figs go from bright to a duller, more yellow green and may show fine cracks in the skin. Colour is the easiest sign to see and the least reliable on its own.

A day too late is better than a day too early

A slightly overripe fig, one that has begun to split or has a wrinkle at the stem, is still excellent for jam and usually the sweetest fruit on the tree. An underripe one is a waste. If in doubt, leave it for the next morning's picking.

Birds and wasps

The trouble is that birds and wasps read the same signs. On our trees the first sign of a ripe fig is often a beak mark. Picking every morning during the season, rather than every few days, is the only real answer.

This article describes our own experience picking figs in Rockaway Park. The point about figs not ripening after harvest is supported by the source below.