Ralph, they don't soften until they ripen. I picked my 'first fruits' here today. Several more days until the rest of them soften and turn dark.

Keep the Faith! Fig Trees are great!

Thank you gardenlady,i guess i was a little impatient,its the first purple fig tree that ive grown. when i was in N.Y. i had a white fig which grew to the size of half dollars,i guess im a little spoiled. My purple fig did get soft when it ripened,but i was not happy with the size,because it it only grew to a little larger than a marble.

My figs seem slow to ripen too. The Violette de Bordeaux and Petit Negre ripen one or two at a time.
WIth all the rain we've gotten, I notice the figs are not as sweet or tasty as in dryer years.