taste/use difference between green and dark figs?

16 years ago

Everyone has been such a fantastic help in educating me on fig trees. I'm still following the other two threads and loving your answers! I have no idea which fig to get, but I sure know a lot more than I did before. Can anyone describe the reason you choose a light fig over a dark fig? Is one better for fresh, dried and the other better for canning or cooking? I'll probably be eating fresh and using the food dehydrator... maybe that will help my decision. Although I suspect you are all correct = I will (or have) been bitten by the "fig bug" and will end up with several. Looking forward to hearing from you.

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Comments (8)

figalicious
16 years ago
I don't rely on skin color as much as I do pulp color. My favorite figs have a deep dark red pulp such as the purple skinned Mission and Black Madeira or the green skinned Paradiso and Adriatic.

Figs with amber colored pulp such as Kadota are good to but, in my limited experience, not as concentrated in fig flavor as they are in sweetness. Now I haven't tasted all that many fig varieties so there may be some exceptions but from my experience I'd take a fig with red pulp over amber anyday.

Sue
pitangadiego
16 years ago
Color doesn't mean anything - only taste. Coincidentally, most of my favorite figs are dark, but the green ones dominiate the top 25 list by a wide margin.
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gene_washdc
16 years ago
Commercially the white figs are perfered for drying and for jams as it supposedly makes a better looking product.

I like the dark violet figs with red pulp -- and of course like Jon I want them to taste great too.
lifesblessings
Original Author
16 years ago
this has been such an education! so what I understand so far is: dark pulp is deeper rich fig taste but the lighter pulps are sweeter - and therein lies the opinion of "taste" of how much a person likes a particular fig... So perhaps if you wanted a fig flavored fruit = go light; if you want a good rich fig flavor = go dark. You have all been wonderful, thank you so very much. I think I will start with dark, rich, and then grow into finding more room for more fig trees after I learn to successfully "winter/wrap/care" for my first one.
gorgi
16 years ago
Speaking ONLY on my eye appeal, I would rush to any very
black or green skined fig with blood-red pulp! But, my
taste buds (not sure why - right now); are telling me
to go for the amber-pulped ones...
ottawan_z5a
16 years ago
OK guys, you can have the luxury of colours and tastes (and enjoy it too) but there are some who would just like to have figs that can reach ripening stage before frosty shows up. Of course good taste and colour would be an appreciated bonus.
gorgi
16 years ago
In general (and from what I have head); SMALLER sizied
figs tend to perform BETTER in the more colder regions.
cath41
16 years ago
Someone somewhere asked for references on figs that discuss flavor saying that most references do not discuss flavor. Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants by Stephen Facciola does discuss flavor and has a section on figs.