Fig varieties

There are hundreds of named fig varieties and a great deal of confusion among them. These are the ones we grow, cook with or have studied closely. Ratings are our own working judgements on a five-point scale and will be refined as we gain experience with each tree.

Variety	Skin	Flesh	Flavour	Season	Best use
Black Mission	Purple-black	Deep strawberry pink	Rich, sweet, concentrated, slightly winey when fully ripe	Breba in early summer, main crop late summer into autumn	Drying, dark jam, fresh eating
Brown Turkey	Brownish purple	Amber to pale pink	Mild, sweet, low acidity	Breba in early summer, main crop late summer	Mixed fig jam, cooking
Celeste	Violet-brown	Rosy amber	Very sweet, clean, gentle	Main crop mid to late summer	Fresh eating, preserves
Chicago Hardy	Purple to deep mahogany	Strawberry red	Sweet, berry-forward, light tartness at the skin	Main crop from late summer into autumn	Dark fig jam, fresh eating
Kadota	Yellow-green	Amber	Mild, honeyed, low acidity	Main crop late summer	White fig jam, preserving, drying
White Adriatic	Pale green	Strawberry red	Bright, berry-like, noticeably tart for a fig	Main crop late summer	Jam, drying

Black Mission

The classic dark fig of California: near-black skin, deep pink flesh, rich flavour, and excellent dried or in jam.

Drying, dark jam, fresh eating

Brown Turkey

A widely planted, forgiving fig with brownish-purple skin and mild, amber-pink flesh. Not the most intense flavour, but productive and easy.

Mixed fig jam, cooking

Celeste

A small, very sweet fig from the American South with violet-brown skin and a tightly closed eye that keeps rain and insects out.

Fresh eating, preserves

Chicago Hardy

The dependable cold-climate fig: dark purple skin, strawberry-red flesh, and a tree that regrows and still fruits after a hard winter.

Dark fig jam, fresh eating

Kadota

A green-yellow fig with thick skin and amber flesh; mild and honeyed rather than berry-like, and a traditional canning and preserving fig.

White fig jam, preserving, drying

White Adriatic

Green skin outside, vivid strawberry-red flesh inside, and a bright berry flavour that makes one of the best jams of any fig.

Jam, drying

Variety profiles