The California Fresh Fig Growers Association says fig season will start early this year due to extreme heat and that consumers and retailers can expect plentiful fruit into the fall.
“After years of drought and fires, California fig orchards are the healthiest they’ve been in years,” association CEO Karla Stockli said in a news release. “This promises to be one of the best California Fresh Fig seasons we’ve ever seen.”
Mission figs started off the year with the breba crop or first crop, which ended in June. The main crop includes brown turkeys, missions and sierras. Additional varieties will continue to come online through November.
The association said the Golden State’s primary varieties include:
- Mission with purple and black skin with a deep earthy flavor.
- Brown turkey with light purple to black skin with robust flavor.
- Sierra with light-colored skin with a fresh, sweet flavor.
- Tiger with light yellow color with unique dark green stripes and a bright red-purple interior fruit with fruity, raspberry, citrus flavor.
The association said growers continue to plant additional acres to meet consumer demand and that this year’s crop looks to be comparable to last year’s 10-million-pound crop size.
