Are You Stuck with a Tree Full of Unripe Figs?

Unripe figs in Joe Pietanza's Brooklyn garden

Unripe figs in Joe Pietanza's Brooklyn garden

A fig lover'south nightmare is to have a tree full of small, hard figs sitting stubbornly unripe on the tree at the terminate of the season.  It is oft tempting to pick this end of season fruit before it's fully mature, but will these figs ripen off the tree, or will you lot be stuck with sour, greenish lumps?  Information technology'due south an age-old debate. Don't exist surprised to hear an Italian gardener tell yous fervently that no, figs will never ripen off the tree, never pick an unripe fig – catamenia.  Then the side by side twenty-four hour period y'all may hear his wife, cousin or neighbour give an equally enthusiastic yep, information technology's okay to option the fig a footling early, but let it sit on the counter for a day or ii and it will ripen right upwardly.

Who's right?  Who'south wrong? Will the fig ripen or not?

It turns out they are both right– sort of.  Figs are what is scientifically known as a climacteric fruit, which ways they ripen (on the tree or not), when exposed to ethylene gas, which is produced naturally by the fruit itself.  Other climacteric fruits include bananas, apples, peaches, and tomatoes.  Unlike other climacteric fruits, though, figs only responds to ethylene gas in their after stages of development.  What does all that hateful for the fig contend?  Basically, a fig which has already started the ripening process will go along to ripen fifty-fifty off the tree, then a fig which is soft and total, but not as sweet and juicy equally you lot might hope, volition become riper if you get out information technology on your counter for a few days.  A hard, green, sour fig on the other manus volition non ripen on your counter, no matter how long yous look.

We idea nosotros'd share a few ideas for how to make sure y'all cease upwards with luscious, juicy fruits, not a sad tree full of never to be tasted figs.  Unfortunately, if it has already frosted in your area, information technology may be too late to ripen any figs left on your tree.  If frost all the same hasn't striking where y'all live, give some of these ideas a try.  Non sure if your figs are ripe or not – bank check out our web log postal service here for aid on knowing when your fig is ripe.

"Pinch" the figs: Figs bear their main flavor fruit on the current season'southward growth, which ways you'll just get main season figs on the new growth at the end of the co-operative.  Some copse accept an early crop (breba) that grows on last flavor's growth. A proficient style to ensure that all your figs will ripen is to keep the new growth to a minimum past "pinching."   This method of reducing the number of fruits immune to grow is like to pruning a grape vine or a fruit tree and should exist washed in the spring after the plant sets its first leaves.  To do this, find the branches from this year'south growth – they should be green and supple compared to previous yr's growth.  Count the leaves on the electric current growth starting from the trunk side, and pinch off the growing tip and then that just 5 or 6 leaves remain on the branch.

You can utilize this aforementioned principle later on in the season also.  Some gardeners merits that pinching the ends off of branches which have already set fruit can encourage the last figs on the tree to ripen.  They recommend pinching the tip off the tree late in the season, around mid-September for most of the East Coast. Removing the tips of each branch when the tree has already set fruit will encourage the tree to finish growing and send its energy in to ripening fruit instead.

Reduce the number of figs: If you detect yourself mid-Summer and yous forgot to pinch dorsum the growth in the Jump using the early pinching method, don't worry.  You can apply the same principle to a tree which already has already fruited.  Just pick off the smallest, greenest fruit, furthest away from the trunk. This will ensure that the tree sends its energy into ripening the fruit that remains.  You lot'll end upwards with fewer figs, just they'll be more probable to ripen.

If, like many of the readers who are writing us now, you notice yourself towards the end of fig flavor with no ripe figs, don't worry, yous still have some options.

Oil the figs: Another method of ripening figs is to dot the eye of the fig with a flake of oil.  To do this, simply dip a Q-tip in some olive oil and brush it lightly over the lilliputian belly button on the lesser of the fig, opposite the stem.  Anointing the figs like this helps seal the eye of the fruit, preventing ethylene gas from escaping and encouraging the fig to ripen faster.   Figs treated this mode tin can ripen in as little equally two days. Exist forewarned though, this method will non work if the figs are extremely under ripe, in fact it can cause the immature figs to fall off the tree. Additionally, many people claim that figs ripened this way don't taste as practiced equally figs ripened naturally.  If the forecast calls for common cold weather condition a few days out though, it may be worth your while to endeavour to coax a few ripe figs off the tree with this method.

">

5.jpg

The banana bag method:  Figs demand an average daytime temperature of at least threescore degrees to ripen – any colder and the tree will begin to enter dormancy.  With that in mind, ane of our gardeners in Pittsburgh, Jimmy Sunseri keeps a close centre on the weather.  When he sees a cold stretch coming in he recommends picking all the fruit left on the tree and putting it in a paper pocketbook with a banana.  Bananas take high quantities of ethylene gas, and will assist to speedily ripen any of the figs which take already entered the maturation phase.  Not all the figs will ripen he says, but you might go a few last sweet figs.

Here'southward some new tips nosotros recently received from a website reader in Australia, John Tick:

"Recently, my main tree was full of green figs and starting to go dormant. What to exercise? I read a few articles on green figs and decided that information technology was heat stressed. I immediately gave the tree 20 gallons of very weak liquid manure. Within ii (2) days some figs began ripening and very quickly. Then every mean solar day I have been giving the tree twenty gallons of water and on the fifth day liquid fertiliser. The figs immediately began ripening daily such that I could harvest virtually 10 or so a solar day. All the other fig trees (ii) have gone dormant only this big tree has decided to agree off till all the figs are ripe which will exist in about iii or four days past my reckoning.
So Decision - if figs are not ripening in a hot climate it may exist the result of heat stress - so more h2o!!!!"

Eat them green:  If all else fails y'all could attempt one of the many recipes for green figs.  In Italy, dark-green figs are added to frittatas and served on pasta. Nosotros particularly like this recipe for unripe figs and fettuccine which is adjusted from the Italian version online here.

ane lb. fresh fettuccine pasta
1 medium onion, cut into a small dice
¾ pound unripe figs, rinsed and diced
4 oz pancetta, cut into a small die
Compression of hot pepper flakes
½ cup of dry white wine
Olive Oil
Salt
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Recipe update: Afterward trying this recipe co-ordinate to the original instructions that didn't require that the figs exist boiled and squeezed outset, and then trying it past softening the figs by boiling, nosotros accept decided we prefer the latter preparation equally shown below.

In a small sauce pan, eddy figs until slightly soft, rinse and clasp out excess water. Cut the figs into pocket-sized pieces. Heat enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom of a big frying pan.  Add together the onions and sauté over medium until translucent then add the pancetta and sauté for another two minutes.  Add figs to pancetta and onions and sauté until the pancetta begins to crisp.  Add the white vino to the pan, and cook until the alcohol has evaporated, then add salt and hot pepper flakes to taste.  Add one-half a loving cup of water and melt for 15 to twenty minutes, until the figs are soft and brown.   Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, and when it is al dente drain it, reserving half a loving cup of the starchy cooking h2o.  Add the fettucine to the frying pan, along with the reserved pasta h2o and toss in some grated parmesan.  Stir together to coat the pasta in the fig sauce, and serve hot with more cheese on peak.     Buon Appetito!

Here is a recipe for preserving unripe figs from website reader Tommy Slatten of Wilda, LA:

I live in the deep south. Here we usually accept an overflux of figs, particularly the early on varieties like Celeste. The traditional method of preserving figs here is to cook them into a syrup, and keep in jars. The ripe figs will interruption up, because of the long cook time. We actually await for figs that have just begun to blush with color, and are however firm. To prepare just rinse the figs, no need to stem them, and cook in a crockpot on high. Comprehend the figs completely with dry granulated cane saccharide. The moisture will come up from the figs, and a syrup will class slowly. DO NOT STIR, the sugar will all eventually dissolve. Cook times will vary, but information technology will usually take an overnight cook. The colour should exist dark, like potent tea. Jar them with plenty syrup to embrace them completely. Water bath the jars for about 10 minutes. Whatever leftover syrup can be used as flavored syrup. Shop in a night place, they will keep for years.

3.jpg

If you know any other methods for ripening figs please share them with us. And, go on us posted if you effort whatsoever of the ripening methods nosotros mentioned here – we'd dearest to know how they worked for yous!